From Fallen Skies
by Neko Tsukimori
Summary: The city of the Moon is attacked, setting off a chain of events that reach far beyond its source. One of the survivors journeys across Nippon, trying to stop what his people have released. Begins more than 200 years before the events of the game. AU, OC heavy.
1. Moonfall

**Summary: The city of the Moon is attacked, setting off a chain of events that reach far beyond its source. One of the survivors journeys across Nippon, trying to stop what his people have released.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Okami, it belongs to Capcom and Clover. Okamiden also belongs to Capcom.**

**WARNING: Possibly several Mary Sues, vagueness, OOC-ness, and contradiction of canon. To mention a few things.**

**Feedback, especially criticism, is greatly appreciated.**

* * *

_I was free, but my freedom did not last._

_It seemed that merely seconds after life loosed its grip on me, I was weighed down once more. Life began again. I could sense nothing, nothing except for the hollowness, the feeling of incompletion. A hollowness that would soon be filled with creation, with life._

_This journey was one that started long before I arrived. Many of these stories are not mine, but simply deserve to be told._

_And so it began, in the cold and the clamor and the fright._

* * *

Tsukuyomi's eyes snapped open to a rumble that shook the city. Around her, the strips of light that ran across the room turned from blue to flashing red.

_It's broken free. _A chill of terror pushed away the lethargy of meditation as she stood up and rushed to the window. In the distance, Tsukuyomi could already see the monstrous figure, taller than the tower itself. Even far away, its eyes burned into her, _Yamata no Orochi has escaped the Ark. _

The serpent reared up its eight heads, and Tsukuyomi could only watch as the walls of her city were torn apart as easily as thread. Already the escape rockets were being launched, comets blasting into the sky, carrying the youngest of their children away. She couldn't see how many would survive, or if they would even reach the earth. These children's futures held the destiny of their people, and yet they were so clouded.

Their defenses slowly began to activate, awakening from their long slumber to finally serve their purpose, but it was futile, Tsukuyomi knew. One of its heads gave off a visible current of electricity, and their defenses were useless, puppets with their strings cut away. The demon had taken out the main generators.

Tsukuyomi closed her eyes as the screams began, the cacophony of fear echoing into the blackness above. The guards would be there soon, she knew; they would try to calm the people, evacuate them while others held off the demon. Tsukuyomi wished that they would all make it safely to the ships and evacuate, that the guards would survive their battle. But there was the painful truth: she knew many of them would not. _If only… If only I could have seen enough to stop this…_ If only they had never been threatened to make this Ark.

Ever since the threats came disasters had fallen upon the Moon Tribe, one after another. Machines running rampant. A plague, forcing them to confine their mentors, the Tengu, within the Ark's depths, and now, this great serpent escaped from the Ark. And she had foreseen it all. She had seen, seen that red would stain the ruins of their home as this knowledge had stained her heart.

_Now I may only stand by and watch the future come to pass. _Tsukuyomi turned away, unable to watch her city crumble and become the ruins her visions had shown. There was nothing to be done as the ruler of the Moon Tribe. Even her brush, a weapon more powerful than anything the Moon Tribe could create, had been reduced to painting calligraphy. She picked up her brush from the shelf of a canvas, then looked over to the small shrine.

The city's most prized artifact, a double-edged sword, lay sheathed there, glimmering in that vibrant shade of blue that reminded her of the open skies and a place that, long ago, she had called home. A crescent moon, the simple emblem of their people, gleamed gold on its hilt. The blade's song called to her, beckoned her. It was time. Tsukuyomi hesitated for a moment. She had sworn to herself never to touch that cursed blade again, the blade of her betrayal. But the knowledge of what had to be done flashed again through her mind. This sword was their only chance. It was foreseen.

She unsheathed the sword and ran down to join the fight.

The clamor was deafening. The demon's roars, the guards' panicked commands, the people screaming in fear. Every weapon bounced off the monster's hide without leaving so much as a scratch. It let out a growl and one of its heads slammed downwards, smashing into the ground. Plumes of gray dust swelled up, and cracks spread out from the new crater the head had created. As the head prepared to swing again, the guards scattered, stumbling across the uneven ground.

Tsukuyomi ran towards the demon, drawing the sword above her head. Weight slammed down on her arm and she gritted her teeth, forcing herself not to buckle. The head snarled at her, thrashing against the flat of the blade. She pushed back, now holding up the sword with both hands. Slowly, it began to turn, the edge cutting into the beast's neck. The serpent gave a howl of pain and recoiled, the cut on its neck a single crack in its seemingly impenetrable armor.

Tsukuyomi dropped the sword, giving out a cry of horror as she looked at her hands.

Across each palm was a clean slice. Blood began to seep out of them, quickly forming a crust of red.

"No, no…" Her voice died away. Tsukuyomi knew of the sword, and even though her visions had shown her this fate it did not stop the terrible feeling of vulnerability. She swallowed, trying to keep back the panic that began to rise within her.

_Fall by its blade…_ To be cut by it, to bleed… Tsukuyomi remembered a long-ago voice, rasping the curse with her last words, condemning her to a fate worse than death. The guards' captain looked back.

"Lady Tsukuyomi, are you alright?" She quickly hid her hands and picked the sword back up, nodding.

"How many have been evacuated?"

"Not many. The Ark is the only operational ship we have left." Tsukuyomi looked back at the monster, its heads all in disarray at one head's agony. There would be only a little time before it recovered. It didn't matter if the Ark was unsafe. It was a safer choice than to let her people stay and be slaughtered, her visions had shown her that.

"I can keep the demon distracted. Evacuate as many as you can to the Ark and set course for the Celestial Plain." The captain paused. Tsukuyomi held out the sword, struggling to keep her arms from shaking. "Give this to Ushiwaka. Under no circumstances must its edge be touched." The demon would not fall here, and she had not looked into its future, but someday it would fall by this sword. It must. The guard accepted the sword, worry obvious on his face.

"How will you…"

"Do not worry for me. Leave as soon as possible." Tsukuyomi turned to face the monster again, keeping herself between it and the retreating guards. The beast's scales gave off a golden aura, sealing over its wound. A barrier. The sword had pierced it, but nothing else she knew of would damage this demon. She swept a few loose black hairs away from her face with a trembling hand and crouched, studying the monster's movements. One of the heads snapped at her experimentally, and Tsukuyomi sidestepped it, but didn't predict the burst of water spat by another head. Tsukuyomi ducked down, not quite fast enough, and felt the jagged thorns of ice tear shallow gashes in her back. She bit back a cry, and the blue, water-spitting head gagged, freeing its mouth from the ice. The fiery orange head hissed at her, renewed hatred clear in its eyes.

There was a rumbling, not much unlike the growling of the demon closing in on her, as the Ark began to slowly lift off. The monster turned, all eight pairs of eyes focusing on the source of the noise. One of the heads hissed and lightning crackled, spilling out from between its jaws. Tsukuyomi smiled weakly._ At least there is something I can use. _She drew out her brush, its tip already wet with ink, and in moments the lightning was arcing back across the heads. As they writhed, the Ark soared out of reach, picking up as much speed as it could as it drew away from the Moon. The demon shook off the electricity, already refocusing on her. Weaponless and alone, Tsukuyomi ran.

She slumped against the side of a corridor, hearing the demon's roars grow closer. She held still, tensed. There was another roar, fainter this time, and then silence. The demon had lost her. Her people were safe. She tried to tuck the brush back, but it slipped through unresponsive fingers. Tsukuyomi couldn't feel her arms, and the numbness was spreading further, up her neck. She felt so tired…

_No. _Tsukuyomi struggled to keep her eyes open._ Orochi might come back. _She shivered as her vision blurred.

Her mind was clouding, slipping away from the present. She saw, far away and far ahead in time, a cave, and could see a majestic white wolf with red markings, glowing bright as the sun. Its name, a name she should know, one of family, now evaded her in this dreamlike trance. Tsukuyomi saw the demon, its eight heads, saw it lunge, and could see as the white vanished beneath red. Her eyes slipped closed.

_It feels so cold…_


	2. Daybreak

**Summary: ****The city of the Moon is attacked, setting off a chain of events that reach far beyond its source. One of the survivors journeys across Nippon, trying to stop what his people have released.**

**Disclaimer: ****I do not own Okami, it belongs to Capcom and Clover. Okamiden also belongs to Capcom.**

**Sudden scene change! Bear with me… Or don't.**

* * *

Shin sat cross-legged, eyes closed, listening to the voices of the Celestial Plain. They never ceased, never quieted, always staying within his mind. They were the voices of every plant, every flower, every living thing that existed upon the Plain.

_Giant… _The panicked birds' voices from the sky turned his attention.

…_Flying closer… _Shin opened his eyes and looked at the new creature in the sky. It was too far away for him to tell what it could possibly be, save for its size and unfamiliarity to the birds. _Flight, flight!_ The birds were a dark cloud swirling away from it. Shin closed his eyes again and reached out, and the birds' voices became a picture.

_Alien, foreign… _The giant flying creature was oddly shaped, bearing no trace of wings or any way to keep itself in the air. And yet it glided steadily forward, towards the Plain, letting out a constant, rumbling growl. It was not close enough for him to hear its voice. He could only wait. Shin kept his eyes closed and slipped off into the stream of voices.

_Thump-thump._

Shin came back to consciousness with a jolt. When he opened his eyes—how much time had passed?—the creature was much closer, almost upon the Plain. _Will it land here to roost?_ Its smooth, grayish skin glimmered in the sunlight, almost like a salamander, and veins of blue light pulsing across the surface. Its voice murmured too quietly for Shin to discern the words, and beneath it were many different voices. _Has it brought young?_

_Thump-thump._

This wasn't right.

He could hear its heart beat in his mind as strong as any voice, a soft, dark beat. He didn't know why, but he wanted no creature with a heart like that to come near the Plain. It wouldn't stop, though. It wouldn't hear him, just like all the other voices. Somehow, its appearance seemed familiar… Shin could remember hearing a dream of a creature like this, so long ago. He remembered someone like him yet so unlike, someone who had been with him during the earliest part of his immortal life...

A sister. Yes, his sister. Her name was Tsukuyomi, wasn't it? She had gone off far away, to the Moon. Shin had heard her imaginings, and she had said she would create a city, a place full of people like her. She could create, she could do things that he could not. And Tsukuyomi, from the few things he could remember, had never seemed to fit within the Plain as he had. She had seen things, places he never knew existed. It frightened her at first, but then one day she had began to think of visions and the Moon and destiny.

And then she had left.

But Shin still wished he could see her again, hear her voice not in his memories but aloud, responding to his own.

Was she returning?

"Tsukuyomi," Shin tested the sound of the name, his own voice a strange sound. Someone was coming here. Someone who could speak but also respond. Not like the voices of the Plain. They were constant, but he could speak all he wanted and they would not, could not listen.

Finally the creature landed—the plants beneath it yelped—, its maw slowly opening.

For a moment there was nothing, and then a mass of people spilled out and the voices in Shin's head flared. The plants cried out where they were stepped on, the Plain erupted with wails of disturbance. Shin winced, staring at the mass of people milling around outside the creature, trying to recover his own thoughts from the blur of voices. Didn't they realize what they were doing? Shin tried to articulate his outrage, assemble his thoughts into words, but it was a useless endeavor through the uproar inside his mind. One person approached Shin directly and bowed to him, and received a puzzled stare in response.

"I'm sorry, this must all be very startling for you. I am Sugawara of the Moon Tribe." Shin stared blankly ahead, his vision beginning to blur as the Plain forced their senses on him. _Moon… Tribe? From the Moon._ "We are a peaceful people, governed by your sister, Tsukuyomi." _Sister. Where is she?_ Sugawara glanced briefly away before continuing. "Not long ago the Moon Tribe was attacked by a powerful demon, and we were forced to flee. This place was the nearest sanctuary we knew of." Shin couldn't understand. What was he saying? Even Sugawara's mind only recited the words back, meaninglessly, again and again. "May we stay here for a little while, at least until we can find a new place to live?" A question. At this Shin focused on Sugawara, trying to force the blur away. Sugawara wanted him to answer. Shin hoped his voice would work.

"Stay here." Shin stumbled over the words. Tsukuyomi had come back and brought these people. Of course they could stay. "...Please." He added belatedly. Sugawara smiled briefly—Shin sensed that he had said the right words—and turned to walk back towards the crowd. Another, younger one of the Moon Tribe stopped him, but Shin could not understand the voices of their mouths, only those of their minds. Their minds spoke of someone left behind, someone they believed would never return. Shin couldn't see a trace of the black hair he looked for within the crowd of blonde. "Where is Tsukuyomi?" Sugawara stopped.

His mind had fallen quiet. The other person was holding a blue object—a glaive, that was what they called it—with two red stains on one edge of the blade, and somehow it held pain with it. He was saying something, still in the language that Shin could not understand, but the voice of his mind was enough. Tsukuyomi. There was a creature that attacked the Moon, she was fighting it off. The sword had been her weapon. The Moon Tribe left. She did not. Sugawara bowed his head.

"We are very sorry for your loss." Loss. Disappearance. Shin felt them echoed in every mind of the Moon Tribe. He could see faces of people he did not recognize, that he knew would not be found among the crowd. These feelings were foreign to him. They were pained, and Tsukuyomi… Where was she? Wasn't she coming back?

Gone, not here, lost. Not coming back.

She would never be here, their thoughts told him. The blur whirled in confusion. Never here, but she was here, her people were here so she had to be, leading them... Didn't she? Shin dimly heard himself saying the same words over and over.

_She's gone, she's gone. _Meaningless words for an empty void that seemed to have opened where his sister had been. Shin didn't try to keep the blur away. Within the voices of the Plain and the Moon Tribe and the others that had come, there was still the emptiness. Tsukuyomi had known what to do to stop it, hadn't she? But he couldn't fill the void, couldn't create like her, didn't have anyone but the voices that never listened and just kept speaking, speaking into a blur.

This time the flowers listened.


	3. Eventide

**Summary: ****The city of the Moon is attacked, setting off a chain of events that reach far beyond its source. One of the survivors journeys across Nippon, trying to stop what his people have released.**

**Disclaimer: ****I do not own Okami, it belongs to Capcom and Clover. Okamiden also belongs to Capcom.**

**Last chapter, we were introduced to Shin, the Moon Tribe arrived at the Celestial Plain, and we have yet to stick with a POV character for more than one chapter.**

* * *

Waka was in a sitting position, meditating, attempting to divine answers.

_Who had wielded the Tsukuyomi? _Waka asked himself as he stared blankly at the sword in question. Tsukuyomi. The name was the only thing he'd recovered from his faded memories of the attack.

_What was the demon they fought? _In his memory he only had the ache, the feeling that he had known, but the knowledge was now buried away. He didn't know how he'd forgotten. But the flowers here, they seemed so sweet, pushing all of those sad memories away…

_No. Focus._ He closed his eyes, attempting to find an answer, some glimpse of the future, but no vision came. No success, as always. He shouldn't have asked so much about the past, anyway. Visions wouldn't show that. And if the memories were still buried, no amount of meditation would recover them.

Waka opened his eyes again and stood up, looking again at the sword where it lay unsheathed on a table. Though there were strict instructions—given by who, Waka didn't know—that the blade should not be touched and so was never cleaned, not a single speck of dust could be seen on its surface, and the stains on both edges of the blade looked as though they were still moist. Waka gave the sword one last glance before exiting the small hut—one of many things that had appeared after their arrival.

"The Celestial Plain is beautiful, isn't it?" One of the Moon Tribe, now wearing a white robe-like cloth, greeted him. "I hope you've enjoyed visiting our home."

"Quite an extended visit. We've got no way of leaving." He only received a blank look of confusion in response. "Is it so much of a home that you can't remember your own?" Waka asked out of reflex, even though he knew the confusion he would receive in response. To tell the truth, he didn't remember much of the Moon either, not after the years they had spent here. He glanced around. Even more of the Moon Tribe were dressed in the same white clothes.

Waka saw Sugawara navigating his way through the crowd towards him and silently thanked him for keeping them both sane. Sugawara's expression was even more solemn than usual.

"The ship is now operational."

"Do you have to leave?" Waka looked up at him. "I don't want to be the last one who still remembers." He managed a strained smile. "And is leaving your student alone with a bunch of cultists a good idea? What if they try to sacrifice me to the flowers or something?" Sugawara sighed.

"I am afraid this place seems to have spoiled your humor slightly… Do not worry. They will not. Soon, you will be leading the Moon Tribe—no, the Celestials. I know you will not fail." Sugawara gave a small smile. "I am sure we will meet again someday. Until then, keep practicing what you have learned." Waka nodded, and watched his mentor walk away towards the shuttle that would take him to the mortal plain. When he felt too pained to stay any longer, he hurried away, not caring where he was going, just anywhere away, away from everything.

Waka didn't know how he'd ended up at the edge of the Plain, or why it looked so different. Where there should have been blue sky below the edge, instead it tipped off into a strange, shadowy plane. The sweet scent of flowers, before unnoticeable, had vanished. The depths seemed to call to him, and then everything else was just a simple distraction of colors against the shade of the void. Hypnotized, he reached out to trace the line between the light and the darkness when a hand caught his wrist.

"Don't." Shin's voice came from behind him. Waka freed his hand and turned to face his friend, grinning. Shin remained unusually serious. "You nearly reached into Yomi, the land of death." Waka's smile vanished as he glanced again at the edge. With every inch of space in the Plain covered in color, the shadowy, empty space now looked unnatural. Waka cradled his hand, feeling a sudden chill. "Is this what gone means?" Shin whispered to himself.

The wind began to blow gently, carrying the scent of flowers. Waka felt his fear slip away, and then there was only calm. Shin was staring at him with wide worried eyes.

"Don't worry. This place seems to be capable of healing any brush with death." Again, only a blank stare as Shin tried to listen for any hint to the joke. Waka sighed. He should've learned by now that puns and Shin did not mix well. _I'm fine,_ he thought pointedly.

"Oh." Shin blinked. "Why didn't you just say that?"

* * *

When Waka returned to the hut he immediately slipped back into meditation, and the vision struck him. He could see the demon, a picture now clear in all its terror, and its name came to his mind.

_Yamata no Orochi. _The rest of the scene was coming into focus. He could see the Celestial Plain, the demon ravaging it with fire, poison, and darkness… Waka squeezed his eyes further shut as though that would block out the future he had seen, but that only made it clearer. The time was coming closer, he knew, and now with the demon's name he could try to find answers.

_When will Yamata no Orochi attack the Celestial Plain? _He only saw more images of the future, of the sword Tsukuyomi, to be wielded by a man in white armor against the demon. That was when it would be defeated, and that was how. But Waka pushed the images away and continued searching for an answer.

A faint roar came from outside and his eyes snapped open.

_It's too late._

Orochi was already here.


	4. Skyfall

**Summary: ****The city of the Moon is attacked, setting off a chain of events that reach far beyond its source. One of the survivors journeys across Nippon, trying to stop what his people have released.**

**Disclaimer: ****I do not own Okami, it belongs to Capcom and Clover. Okamiden also belongs to Capcom.**

**Before the chapter ending so rudely cut us short, where were we… Oh yes, we were introduced to Waka, who doesn't seem to be anything like the canon Waka we know and love, and Orochi was attacking the Celestial Plain. Let's see how that goes…**

* * *

"To the Ark!" Waka heard himself shout the warning, leading the mass of panicked Celestials inside. Even as he did, he could only think of the dangers within their only means of survival. _We never knew who wanted the Ark or anything inside it, but it was built to house demons. So far the walls have kept them trapped, but…_ Outside, Orochi's roar sounded louder and closer than before, and Waka motioned for the remaining Celestials to hurry._ Please don't let the demons escape now... _The last of the Celestials hurried into the Ark. Shin gave one last glance back at his home, seeing a flicker of flame across the fields before the Ark's closing door obscured the Plain from sight.

Waka rushed through the corridors of the Ark, the sounds of Orochi's roars growing far too loud for comfort. The ship's halls were like a dark, dank labyrinth. Waka dashed towards one path, then stopped, peering into the darkness. The path led towards the center of the Ark, where most of the greater demons had been contained—_like Orochi, _he thought.

Waka turned back and took a different path. Another turn, and Waka sighed in relief, rushing to the control panel. Orochi roared again, while he frantically looked over it, trying to recall something, anything, about how to operate machinery. The engineers hadn't bothered to label anything, and now they were… unable to recall themselves. Waka pressed a few buttons and the Ark's engines gave a rumble as they started. The lights flickered on, bathing the corridors in bright blue. Shin walked through the doorway seconds later, staring at one blue current of light.

"Where is Ark going to take us?" Waka would have been amazed at how Shin could seem so calm, except he saw that glazed look in his eyes that always came over him when the voices in his mind were too overwhelming.

"We have to go to the mortal realm." Shin began to look more alert, so Waka continued. "I had a vision. That's where the chosen one will be, the one who can defeat Orochi." The Ark finally lifted off, painfully slow.

Shin watched silently as Waka experimentally flipped a switch, causing two view-screens to blink on in front of them. One screen showed the sky in front of them, the other, the land they were leaving behind. Shin saw the devastation of fire spreading across the Plain, hearing the voices that were always in his mind growing slowly quiet. Pieces of the once vast land were crumbling away, and Waka saw a flash of brilliant blue in the falling rubble. He quickly flipped off that view-screen, sneaking a worried glance at Shin, who seemed adrift in a place far away, straining for the voices of life that he had always heard.

"It's so quiet." Shin said, his own voice sounding unnaturally loud. The only response to him was the beating of the Ark's dark heart pounding in his ears. The Celestials were barely a murmur in the background, too far, too soft.

_Thump-thump_.

As the beat filled up the silence its darkness began to fill his vision, creeping into the edges. There was nothing else. The voices were fading and the thumps of Ark's heart pounding were all he could hear. He latched onto the murmur of life coming from Waka and slowly the noise, the darkness, began to recede into the background. Waka felt a flash of worry for the Celestials, trapped within a house of demons as their only sanctuary against the one demon that escaped.

"I'm going to check on our passengers, okay?" He set the Ark's controls to autopilot—at least he'd remembered that—and moved towards the hallway, his hand straying for the sword at his belt.

"Don't leave." The words were spoken softly, as though Shin did not believe they would be heeded. A crash resounded through the corridors of the Ark and for a moment it wobbled, unsteady in the air. Waka ran back to the control panel as one of the main engines shorted out, frantically trying to find the backup engine. He glanced back at the corridor nervously. The source was somewhere within the Ark.

Shin could feel the lives of the Celestials flickering out, one by one.

"Why are they leaving? We're safe, where are they…" Shin choked back a sob. "They're gone." Vanishing, into Yomi, into nowhere, but why couldn't they stay a little longer? He just didn't want to be alone.

Was Waka going to leave him too?

_The demons. _The guilt was a stab in Waka's chest. Why had he thought escape would be so easy? Now the Celestials were paying for his mistake.

A terrified scream just outside, somewhere within the corridors, snapped him back to reality. There was another, last scream of pain, followed by an unfamiliar, unsettling felt the Celestial's life, this one so close to them, fade. For a moment there was another high-pitched laugh, then the sickening sound of crunching bones and tearing flesh. Shin whimpered, covering his eyes as if that would block out the Celestials' fate, a fate all too visible to him. Waka sealed the corridor doors.

Another crash, and the Ark lurched. Shin closed his eyes, feeling suddenly weak, and tried to imagine he was somewhere safe, but there was only sky all around and now that scared him. A moment passed, and Shin tried to recover himself in within a deafening silence. An alarming beep from the control panel drew their attention to the view-screen.

_Thump-thump._

"We're falling." Waka began to search the panel, but to no luck. The last of the power currents had been cut off from the engines. There was nothing to stop their fall. He looked up at the view-screen. There was the blue of a lake in front of them, but Waka had no time to think about that before the Ark shook as it hit the water. The view-screen sparked and shut off. The walls creaked dangerously from the pressure of the water around them.

Shin looked around, seeing a cracks open up above them, letting water inside. There was water above and water below, something strange, but he knew what to do in water at least. Waka's thoughts were anxious. Shin looked over at him, worried.

"Please tell me you can swim." Waka opened his mouth to answer when the walls gave and a torrent of cold water came rushing in. Waka struggled against the deluge, against the water that trapped him. He couldn't see, couldn't hear, couldn't move. Waka tried to breathe, but only water filled his lungs. He felt a sense of panic, struggling to reach for his Water Tablet. He couldn't move, all sense of direction lost in this strange place where his senses would not work and his limbs became sluggish.

_Wasn't supposed to inhale water,_ Waka thought as his vision began to dim, _not good for the lungs._ He faintly felt hands pulling him, could almost make out a blurry light above.

Waka broke the surface, coughing out water, gasping and weak, his eyes stinging. Shin was paddling next to him, trying to keep them both afloat. Shin drew out his brush, and in moments they were both atop a large lily pad.

Behind them, shadows spiraled out of every crack in the sinking hull of the Ark. Demons. Some of them materialized on the lakeshore, quickly moving away from the lake. The rest floated high into the sky, spreading out so that the whole sky seemed streaked with darkness. The wind gusted, blowing the lily pad towards the shore. Waka wrapped his arms around himself, shivering, unable to keep away the chill. Looking back at the Ark, he sobbed, but only felt numb inside.

The lily pad drifted on towards the shore, and only now did he realize that snow was falling, so tranquil even as the Ark, the last remainder of the Moon Tribe, sank beneath the water. Once they were ashore Waka stumbled, drained, towards the shapes that vaguely resembled buildings.

_They're dead. The Moon Tribe… They're all dead. _He still felt nothing, no ache of sadness, nothing but the cold around them. He could hear the horrible sound of tearing metal, two mechanical screeches, then wing beats, rising away from the fallen Ark as the lake claimed it. Waka saw shapes moving towards him, heard voices speaking but could not understand, and the world was falling away, growing dark. He felt himself collapse, and then nothing.


	5. Waning Gibbous

**Summary: The city of the Moon is attacked, setting off a chain of events that reach far beyond its source. One of the survivors journeys across Nippon, trying to stop what his people have released.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Okami, it belongs to Capcom and Clover. Okamiden also belongs to Capcom.**

**Last chapter, Orochi attacked, everyone ran away, lots of people died, the Ark crashed into a lake.**

* * *

Waka opened his eyes.

_Where am I?_ He sat up and looked around the unfamiliar hut. Fur strips of some sort hung on the walls, and there was a fire crackling in the hearth across from him, giving warmth to the room. It had been so cold before… _The lake_. The Ark had crashed, Orochi had attacked…

Waka suddenly became aware of the muffled sounds outside. Screeches like demons, the same voices he'd heard—some other language—before he'd fallen unconscious. But loudest of all was the baying of wolves alongside them. There was a battle going on outside. Whatever people lived in this place, they were fighting the demons. And the wolves… Whose side were they on?

There was a rustle of furs as a white wolf padded through the doorway. Its fur was swirled with red markings. Bright eyes stared at Waka, and he looked back, studying the creature. _Is this what a wolf looks like? I didn't think those patterns…_ The wolf gave a high-pitched bark and scampered over to him, half-hopping in excitement. He fidgeted, confused at why such a noble-looking creature was acting like an overexcited child. Maybe Shin would've known what to do, being able to hear minds, but...

_Wait, where is Shin? _An icy wave of fear washed over him. _No one else survived…_ He remembered now, the sword, he'd left it behind and it was gone now. He was lost in the mortal world, Shin wasn't here, and Orochi could strike at any time. No chosen one could use the sword to slay Orochi, not now while it remained lost. Perhaps not ever. Waka curled up and put his head down, feeling the full weight of his failure begin to sink on him. The wolf tilted its head, whining a little, and then began to paw at Waka's hair.

"H-hey! Stop that!" Waka tried to push the wolf's paw away. It stopped, sat down, and then fur became skin and Shin was sitting there in its place. "…Um." Shin blinked, hesitantly pulling his hand away.

"Your thoughts sound very contradicting. Why do you-"

"You're alive!" Waka interrupted. _And you can turn into a wolf?_ Shin tilted his head at the sudden change of topic, but recognized that Waka really didn't want to talk about it. Whatever "it" was.

"The mortal world is trying to force me into a wolf form. I don't know why. It's difficult to stay human… And when I'm a wolf I can't hear anyone think..." Shin tried to keep his mind focused, away from the strange wolf thoughts that kept pushing in. "The people here, the Oina tribe, think I'm one of them. They change shape too, also into wolves, but… they can control it better." Waka was silent, thoughtful. Shin decided to speak his own mind. "I think we should stay here. Just for a little while. Maybe the Oina can help me control this…" Shin trailed off, listening.

"Have you seen Orochi since the crash?" Shin closed his eyes. Of course. Should've known…

"It passed overhead a day after." He remembered, golden scales flashing overhead and the Oina's confused murmurs, frightened cries as it had blocked out their sky and then disappeared into the distance as quickly as it had come. "Please don't go…"

"I need to." Shin hung his head. "I need to find Tsukuyomi..." Waka paused. "The sword." It was beginning to come back to him. Tsukuyomi meant something else, something that wasn't a sword at all… Why couldn't he remember? "I'm sorry, Shin. I can't stay here and let Orochi destroy the mortal plain too." Even if it meant leaving him behind.

"I… understand." Shin spoke softly, his voice wavering. "On the south edge of the village there is a tunnel. It leads to the place Orochi has gone." Waka nodded. Shin watched silently as he left the hut.

The snow was still falling outside. Waka looked around at the night sky, glowing with stars, the last light of day still lingering on the horizon. He began to walk, the snow crunching under each heavy step.

After a while of walking, he stopped and looked up at the Moon. For the first time he saw its surface clearly, pockmarked with craters—Orochi's destruction. That used to be his home. And there was someone there, someone they had to leave behind… No ordinary person of the Moon Tribe, someone much more important.

Tsukuyomi. Their leader, their brave leader, who had faced down Orochi herself to let them escape.

She was dead now. What was the point in remembering? Waka walked on. There was an entrance of grey stone ahead.

_That must be the tunnel._

The Moon stared down at him. Waka stopped and, hardly thinking about it, pulled out his flute. He began to play. The melody soared up into the quiet night sky, a message to all of those who had been left behind. In the distance, a wolf howled, a grieving harmony to the flute's song. A moment passed, and Waka lowered the flute from his lips. The last notes died away.

Silence filled the air. Loneliness weighed down on him even heavier than before.

He kept walking.


	6. High Noon

**Summary: ****The city of the Moon is attacked, setting off a chain of events that reach far beyond its source. One of the survivors journeys across Nippon, trying to stop what his people have released.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Okami, it belongs to Capcom and Clover. Okamiden also belongs to Capcom.**

**Last chapter, Waka wakes up in Kamui, realizes Shin has turned into a wolf, and then leaves. Yeah, that's about it.**

**Hooray, travel scene that isn't a montage. Though that might make it better. I know that there was no Agata Forest canal, but I couldn't think of another way to get Waka from Kamui to Sei'An City (because we know he gets there). Onward we march…**

* * *

When Waka stopped the sky was blue and cloudless, and the sun flooded the field with light. After exiting the tunnel there was no more snow, just a half-built structure of stone. The sign nearby identified this place as Shinshu Field.

Why did he feel so uneasy? Cautiously, Waka stood up, looking around the field, his hand fumbling for his sword hilt. There was a flicker of yellow, and then he spotted the scroll floating in the shadows of the field. The whole strip of parchment was a sickening yellow, and the lower end of the scroll was ragged and blackened as though it had been charred off. Two orbs of demonic flame circled around the scroll as it drifted through the air. Waka slowly began to step away.

Then he realized that there was not only one such scroll but many, floating around the outskirts of the field. He took another step backwards and his shoe caught on something. All of the scrolls snapped to face him, drawing slowly out of the shadows. Waka took one look at the advancing scrolls and ran. Ducking around another scroll, he saw what seemed to be another tunnel and dashed towards it. He didn't need to look behind him to know that the scrolls were following, relentless in their chase.

Waka neared the cave, only to see that it was a tunnel, with a pool of water instead of a floor. Without a second thought, he activated the Water Tablet, hoping it would still work after being submerged in an icy lake, and stepped onto the surface of the water. He didn't immediately sink, and so he ran into the tunnel, hoping the scrolls wouldn't follow.

After a few steps, Waka paused and looked back. The scrolls hovering outside of the tunnel slowly dispersed, returning to their drifting. Sighing in relief, he continued through the tunnel at a slower pace. Not far in front of him he could see the other end of the tunnel. Reaching it, he vaulted up, pulling himself onto the platform. He stood up and walked out, pausing to reorient himself.

From the hill he had walked out onto, he could see no scrolls in the valley below. Waka followed the footpath down the hill, stepping around the trees—they were mostly small saplings. When he reached the crossroads, Waka saw only one path towards the general direction Orochi had travelled, labeled "Taka Pass". He followed the footpath until he had reached a wooden bridge, creaking with strain from the rushing water underneath it.

Once he had gone over the unsteady bridge, Waka could see slight differences in the landscape. There were different trees, and green grass covering all of the ground except for the familiar footpaths. Tall mountains rose into the horizon.

A flutter of paper in the corner of his eye made him tense. There were more scrolls. Waka stepped slowly and carefully along the footpath, hoping not to draw their attention. When he came to an intersection he stopped, studying the signs placed there before glancing in the direction pointed out by one to be towards "City Checkpoint". There was a small bridge, and the path continued beyond it, but Waka couldn't see through the scroll lazily floating above the bridge. A city. It looked familiar, from the glances he could catch around the scroll. Had he seen it in a vision?

There had to be something in the city. Maybe the sword had fallen there. Waka took another glance at the scroll, watching it turn circles in the air and waiting. He braced himself and dashed for the other side of the bridge.

The scroll roared furiously and dove for him. Waka kept running, the frightening possibilities of what it might do to him racing through his mind. He could almost feel the heat of demonic fire so close to his skin and whirled around, drawing his sword. The blade only glanced off of the scroll, and Waka watched helplessly as the fire touched his skin.

The scroll vanished in a swirl of characters that formed a cloudy red barrier around him. The city was out of reach, hidden behind characters of words he had not been taught to read. Their meanings began to push themselves, burrowing into his mind the more he watched them. Death. Disease. No desperation for escape would persuade him to touch that barrier. A group of the characters clustered in the center, forming into a hunched humanoid shape.

The demon attacked first, running at him with surprising speed. Waka remembered his sword, and fumbled for the correct parry. The demon swiped at him and his sword blocked it, but then the next swipe caught his arm and he was stepping away, shakily keeping the sword between him and the demon. It snarled again, and Waka noticed its fangs spattered with blood and… He felt suddenly nauseous. This thing had… the Celestials… The demon batted away his sword and prepared to swipe him again.

Where was the wind coming from? The demon made a high-pitched noise, hesitating for a minute, and Waka would have stepped back except the barrier was right behind him, humming images of death. The wind suddenly because a gale, forcing the demon to crouch against the ground. He had to kill it to break the barrier. Waka lifted his sword, trying to stop his arms from trembling. Just like practice. One stab. He stepped closer. It was still paralyzed by the wind, clawing at the air as though that would make it stop.

Waka closed his eyes and stabbed. He felt the sword sink into something, heard a loud screech—too much like the Celestials' cries of pain—and when he opened his eyes the barrier was gone. When he opened his eyes, the demon was gone, and a cluster of colorful flowers bloomed from the ground. He sheathed his sword with trembling hands, nearly dropping it, trying to ignore the coating of dark blood.

He had to keep moving. Go to the city. With each step he took, Waka's legs felt as though they would give in. _Just keep walking._ Anything to get further away from that spot. It was like the death hum of the barrier had bored its way into his mind. The scrolls did not come near, fended off by the wind that still gusted around him.

He'd killed. Each step seemed heavier than the last.

_Just keep walking…_


	7. Half Moon

**Summary: ****The city of the Moon is attacked, setting off a chain of events that reach far beyond its source. One of the survivors journeys across Nippon, trying to stop what his people have released.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Okami, it belongs to Capcom and Clover. Okamiden also belongs to Capcom.**

**Well, last chapter Waka walked all the way from Shinshu Field to City Checkpoint, killed a demon, and then was promptly traumatized by the experience. **

**The killing, not the walking.**

**…I think.**

* * *

"Halt!" The voice hardly registered to Waka. After a moment he stopped his mindless trudging—towards the city, just keep walking—and looked up. He'd almost reached the city, the entrance was just a few steps away…

…Was someone speaking? Oh, yes. Two people stood guard, blocking the entrance.

"Who are you?" Waka stared back vacantly, his mind hardly translating the words.

"My name is Ushiwaka." The guards turned to each other and quietly exchanged a few words.

Waka only heard a little: "This must be… she said..." One of the guards turned back to Waka. "Follow me. The Queen is expecting you." Queen? Slightly puzzled, Waka followed the guards into the city, again focused only on his own steps.

Whenever he glanced up people looked at him with stares of curiosity. Suddenly he felt nervous, under so much scrutiny, and returned to looking down at the cobbled streets of the city. Waka could hear murmurings.

"…They say the Queen's been waiting for someone…"

"…Won't let the gates close…"

"…Hope the demons don't come for us…"

Then they passed through a small building, and crossed a long bridge. Waka looked around. There were fewer buildings in this part of the city, but they were larger, more ornate, with bridges connecting each one. Fewer people could be seen.

The guards led him to the entrance of one of the buildings, grey stone, walled off from the other buildings by that same stone, that towered above even the other buildings of this part of the city.

_This must be the palace. _The two guards had walked off while Waka stood taking in the sight, leaving him to enter the palace. He decided to walk inside.

The palace halls were bustling with priestesses, and he received no more stares than he would have on the Moon. He wondered if they had known he would be arriving here. When he asked for directions, the priestess bowed, and led him up a set of stairs to what had to be a throne room.

"It is an honor to meet you. Inside this room, the Queen awaits." Waka nodded in thanks and stepped through the doorway with no idea what to expect. The first thing he noticed was that the room, though very large, had little decoration aside from the burning incense that filled it with a smoky, flowery smell. Eddies of wind swirled the scent throughout the room, somehow making him feel instantly calmer. Instead of a back wall, all he could see was a red screen, obscuring the rest of the chamber from view. A solitary person knelt on the floor, deep in prayer, her robes fanned out around her. A circle—like the full moon—glowed softly against the screen. A minute passed, and then she stood up, turning towards him. The glow, which Waka had almost mistaken for an emblem, faded. Some sort of light behind the screen?

"Pass on the message to the guards. The gates may close now." The priestess standing at the doorway bowed, first to her and then to Waka, and hurried away. The woman turned to Waka and smiled in greeting.

"Welcome, Ushiwaka of the Moon Tribe. I am Queen Seinaru." Waka started.

"How do you know…?"

"I am not only this city's ruler but also its priestess." She gestured around at the room, "This is the temple's largest prayer room. Here, I can focus the powers granted to me from a life of prayer. With my gifts, I saw that you, a skilled warrior, would arrive here." Waka felt a glimmer of pride at her words. The Queen gave another small smile and continued.

"It took some amount of focus to send a divine wind to aid in your battle against the demon." This Queen… had summoned the wind? Shin was the only one he knew who had that sort of power—he felt an involuntary pang of sadness at the mention, quickly swept away as the name was gusted from his mind. The Queen continued. "This city will be safe from the demons with you as our ally." Waka remembered why he had set off towards the city in the first place.

"There is a powerful demon that recently came to this world. There's a sword that is key to defeating it…" He described the sword. The Queen gave a knowing nod.

"I have seen such a demon. A giant serpent of eight heads, tall as a mountain. It has not attacked our city, and I do not think it will for a very long time. I do not know of this sword, though. Perhaps it lies elsewhere…" She frowned, a waft of guilt found its way into Waka's thoughts. "Our city needs you here. I ask only for you to pass on your training so that we may protect ourselves from these demons." The Ark's demons. Of course. Any city would need as much protection as it could get. And, seeing the sincerity in the Queen's eyes, Waka could find nothing in him to refuse.

"Of course. I promise, I will protect this city." _I'll fight all of the demons myself if I have to. _The Queen smiled, and for a second Waka became aware of the gentle breeze blowing through the room.

"Sei'An City is honored to have you as a protector. Oh, and…" She picked up an object laying in the corner of the room, and offered it to him. "This is for you. I do not know the full extent of its effects, but it should give you the ability to cross the gap once the bridge has been lifted. Some of our greatest dangers may lie outside the city." As Waka accepted the object—a headdress of some sort, trailing white fabric—he felt a strange feeling of anticipation. The headpiece was the head of a hawk, a bird of prey. Was that what he was to be? Waka thought of his sword, still stained with the blood of one demon and soon many more.

"I will not fail you."

* * *

Extra Scene- Kamiki Village

Far away, in a small village known as Kamiki, Orochi landed. First the air itself seemed to grow darker, a shadow passing over the village caused by no mere cloud. People abandoned their farmwork to look at the sky, the sun blocked by in the gargantuan body of Orochi. They ran, towards the only way out of the village, between two cliffs, but Orochi landed there with a crash, crushing any houses in the way, blocking the villagers' escape. One of the heads, with red and orange adorning it, began to hiss out words.

**Oh, little insects, what will you do to save yourselves? To save your village?** An elderly villager began to step forward, slowly, but at another snarl from one of the other heads he quickly stepped back into the crowd. The heads hissed in delight. **Yesss, good. Fear me, the great Yamata no Orochi. **One head bared its teeth in anticipation. **I hunger for a sacrifice.** **Each year, on the first full moon of spring, my arrow will choose a maiden. She must come to the Moon Cave. Fail to bring me a maiden…** One of the heads, with an earthy coloring, smashed down another house. **And I will bring my full wrath down upon this village.** With this and one last leer at one of the villager women, Orochi lifted off into the sky.


	8. Breeze

**Summary: ****The city of the Moon is attacked, setting off a chain of events that reach far beyond its source. One of the survivors journeys across Nippon, trying to stop what his people have released.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Okami, it belongs to Capcom and Clover. Okamiden also belongs to Capcom.**

**Last chapter, Waka makes it to the city to find that the queen was expecting him. He also accepted the job of going around killing demons on her orders, which means there's going to be a few chapters at the temple. And we also had our first, completely useless, extra scene! Hooray!**

* * *

Under the cover of darkness Waka stalked towards the shack. The wind rustled through the grass, disguising the soft sounds of his footsteps.

The Queen had seen a dangerous demon living here, so close to humans, and so he had gone alone. The other troopers were still learning the sword and would be only a hindrance.

As he watched from the shadows, a person stepped out, looking around. The bright gibbous moon above shone down like the gaze of a giant, casting long shadows across the ground. Waka caught sight of the person's shadow, thrashing in distorted, inhuman shapes, and his eyes narrowed. He needed no further proof that this was a demon in disguise. Stepping from the darkness, he drew his sword. The person's head jerked to face him, and the eyes flared red light. Waka dashed towards it, unsheathing his sword as the demonic barrier erupted around them.

A Crow Tengu soared above him, gliding in circles with its fans. Waka crouched, adjusting his headdress, and jumped, his sword tearing slices in the Tengu's fans. It flapped uselessly for a moment, its own wings hardly breaking its fall. Waka landed on his feet and charged the Tengu, his sword raised to deliver a final blow. There was the sinking sound as the strike landed, and the hiss of the demon's last rattling breath. As the demon's body bloomed into a patch of flowers, Waka wiped his sword clean and sheathed it. He would have to clarify with the Queen exactly what she had meant by "a dangerous demon". He set off along the footpath on the long walk back to the city.

It was strange that the Tengu, like the Crow Tengu who had given him his sword long ago, would ever be his enemy. Perhaps there was some mistake… Waka banished the thought. The plague had been labeled incurable, and it had taken hold in the Tengus' minds until they lashed out like animals at anyone who came near. Killing them would be an act of mercy to the wise mentors they had once been. The moon still stared down at him, and with unease lurking on the fringes of his consciousness he walked on.

* * *

Upon his arrival, Waka immediately headed to the Queen's prayer room, where she would be waiting for his report.

He was greeted by an empty room.

Waka looked around. The incense was unlit, any last traces of smokiness had not lingered in the room. There was a faint outline of a person behind the screen. He paused.

_No matter what happens, _the Queen's instructions had been,_ you are never to go behind the screen. _Waka turned to leave. He'd just have to report in the morning…

_Come back. _A whisper of Waka's native language made him stop and look back into the room. Who could possibly…? _You want to see? Come here… _It sounded like the wind itself had spoken. He stepped back into the room, moving towards the screen. The whispers grew louder.

"No," the Queen's voice, oddly weak, cut through the wind. "I cannot do such a thing. I will not." The wind formed the soft syllables of a sigh. Waka didn't notice how he had stepped from the doorway to the center of the room. He couldn't notice anything but the sounds, the wind. So beautiful. He had to see where it came from. "I cannot keep doing this." The Queen's voice was firm, but there was a desperate note in it. "I—" There was a gasp, then a choked moan. Waka flinched, his hand straying towards his sword.

_The Queen is in danger._ The thought went through his mind as swift as a breeze. The wind was growing louder, a song in his ears.

Waka pulled back the screen, and the moment he did so the murmurs cut away into silence. Behind the screen, a huge crystal sphere loomed over, making the collapsed form of the Queen look even smaller.

"Queen Seinaru?" The whisperings returned, faintly, enticing him forward. "Are you alright?" She looked up from the floor weakly.

"Get away from me." Waka hesitated, but the terror in her eyes pleaded for him to leave.

He nodded and quickly left the room. Then cold realization washed over him. He had just broken one of the Queen's few rules, and probably her trust… Waka changed direction, realizing that he was heading to the training area. The troopers wouldn't be there. They would be sleeping—quite inconvenient, and it left him with little to do.

_Where were those whispers coming from?_ Waka shook his head, trying to push the thought away. It didn't matter. The Queen was allowed her privacy. But still, how could whatever thing the whispers came from know the language of the Moon Tribe? Did some strange spirit haunt the temple?

Why couldn't he stop thinking about it?


	9. Gust

**Summary: ****The city of the Moon is attacked, setting off a chain of events that reach far beyond its source. One of the survivors journeys across Nippon, trying to stop what his people have released.**

**Disclaimer: ****I do not own Okami, it belongs to Capcom and Clover. Okamiden also belongs to Capcom.**

**Last chapter, Waka was off killing demons, then realizes that something suspicious is going on… Something windy….**

* * *

It was always so quiet at this time of night. The moon had retreated behind a blanket of clouds, and the stars glittered faintly where they peeked through.

Waka paced around the temple's courtyard, examining his flute by the dim blue light of the Water Tablet. Perhaps lending it to the queen had been a bad idea… She had wanted to look at it—perhaps see if its design could be copied for the other soldiers—and the flute had been returned with scratches, and places where chips of the bamboo had been dug out.

When he tipped it a certain way, the scratches almost seemed to resemble words…

_But "Pillowtalk" isn't a word, is it?_ Waka stopped his examining, relieved. None of the scratches had completely cut through the flute, so its sound would be unharmed. He looked around the courtyard. There was something else he wanted to test.

The courtyard was empty except for him. His finger easily found the hidden button on the flute's surface. Remembering Sugawara's instructions from when he had first received the flute, Waka positioned himself so that nothing was between the flute's end and the ground, and pressed the button. A blade of light slowly extended from the flute's end, humming faintly.

Waka put away the Water Tablet—the green-tinted light of the flute was enough—and assumed a fighting stance, drawing the sword at his belt with the other hand. He began one of the Tao forms, slashing, parrying. The blade didn't flicker with the movement. Undamaged as far as he could tell. Waka finished the form and paused to rest, considering which form to practice next. The Tao form, the creation of a sole author named Hachiman, had more than enough dual-wielding forms for his practice.

A night wind whispered around him. The blade made a loud, disagreeable buzz and distorted for a moment. Waka frowned. Behind him, something flapped quietly in the wind, and he turned to look, hastily deactivating the blade.

_Queen Seinaru…?_ She walked oddly, her feet so close together that he worried she might trip. How long had she been walking around the courtyard? Her eyes wandered over to Waka and suddenly the air went suffocatingly still. Around him the wind seemed almost tangible, probing.

Then the breeze returned to normal, whooshing away from him, again gusting around the queen's draping sleeves. Something glinted in the faint moonlight before it was obscured again by the sleeves. Something metal. Seinaru continued her walk, back into the temple.

Waka watched her disappear inside, then quietly, carefully, he followed. As he entered the temple, he remembered the young princess, staying in a room just down the corridor…

The room where the queen's form had just gone.

"Is someone there?" The princess's bleary voice traveled faintly down the hall. Waka began to walk faster, a feeling of unease pushing his steps. "…Mother?" A quiet gasp, and Waka hurried down the rest of the hallway, hand already reaching for his sword. The queen stood over the princess, a gleaming knife raised. Ready to kill.

The moment he entered the room something seemed to change. An outtake of air whooshed past the doorway. The queen crumpled backwards and Waka caught her, slipping the knife from her limp hand. Just a cutting knife, not meant for battle.

A chip of bamboo slid off the blade. Waka frowned. Had she…?

"Where…?" The queen's eyes fluttered open, taking in the room. Then she looked up at Waka and flinched away, letting out a tiny squeak of surprise.

"Queen Seinaru, are you all right?" The queen stood up and backed away, looking towards the doorway. "You tried to attack the princess." Waka showed her the knife, but she didn't step towards him to take it. He wasn't sure he'd even be able to give it to her if she had.

"I-I believe whatever possessed me has gone. My apologies for disturbing you." The queen hurriedly bowed to them and scurried from the room. Waka looked back at the princess, curled up on her tatami mat, rocking back and forth. She motioned for him to leave. He hesitated, but left, his mind already drifting back to Tao forms.

When he stepped back into the courtyard, the Queen was standing there, looking down at the grass.

"Queen Seinaru…" She looked over at him and quickly spoke.

"I have managed to divine Orochi's location. It is within the cave on Lake Harami, in Shinshu Field. During the Spring Festival, I would like you to scout the area, and see why Orochi might have settled there." Waka nodded. The Spring Festival—about a moon's cycle away—would be the perfect cover. No one would notice or interfere.

"Um… Queen Seinaru…" The queen tensed. Waka took out his flute and showed her the scratches. "Do you have any idea what these mean?"

"Y-you should go to sleep. It's quite late." She looked… embarrassed?

"But—" By the time he spoke she was already hurrying away.

_But I don't know how…_ Nonetheless, Waka headed back to his quarters. He'd practiced enough, anyway.

* * *

Waka lay down on the mat and closed his eyes, trying to mimic the pose of sleep.

_Do I just… lay here?_ Slowly, he became less aware of his surroundings, less sensitive to his limbs. It was almost like a numbness had crept through them...

_Ah… It's just like meditation._ Waka let his mind relax. He asked nothing, no visions, and nothing was what washed over him in answer.


	10. Penumbra

**Summary: The city of the Moon is attacked, setting off a chain of events that reach far beyond its source. One of the survivors journeys across Nippon, trying to stop what his people have released.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Okami, it belongs to Capcom and Clover. Okamiden also belongs to Capcom.**

**To Sunset-on-the-water: It's part of my head canon about the Moon Tribe. Since they live on the Moon, where there would be no semblance of day and night... I'm guessing they'd be biologically different from humans and have no need for sleeping.**

**Last chapter, there was even more windy intrigue. This chapter… well, more wind, hopefully less intrigue/confusion. Especially less confusion…**

* * *

_Waka, help us…_

_I can't… I can't move…_

_So much blood…_

Waka awoke with blood pounding in his ears.

He breathed deeply, trying to calm himself. It wasn't real. It was just a dream.

Except it wasn't. Waka had been there in the Moon Cave, he'd been in the Ark. He'd heard the Celestials scream and watched the Orochi tear its first sacrifice apart and devour her.

He tried to think about something else. The troopers were improving rapidly, and soon they would be ready for their first missions. He had to keep up with them. After making a habit of sleeping during the night, he'd lost some of his training time. Waka tried to push away the nightmarish images. Perhaps he shouldn't have learned how to sleep…

_No. Stop thinking about it_. Get up. Put on the headdress. Get ready for training. The troopers were waiting in the building next door… The Queen was planning to implement some sort of Moon Tribe technology into it. Waka walked over at the Water Tablet, glowing at him in patterns of circuit diagrams and blueprints, and put it into sleep mode. It was difficult to recall any of the engineering that he had learned, and only the slight familiarity of his own notations convinced him that he had ever learned it at all.

For a minute Waka wondered if he should consult with the Queen. Or at least ask why she'd been avoiding him so much over the past few months, or why whenever she passed by he could hear airy laughter drift through the air… He hadn't seen her at all the last few days. Or maybe he shouldn't ask anything personal, but at least for some new Tao forms…

Waka decided against it. He picked up his flute and began to head down the hallways, out towards the training building.

As he passed by the entrance to the throne room, he heard a breath of wind and froze. The Queen said it was gone, that the strange spirit had left her… But it hadn't left. Whispers swept through the room, tugging him forward.

_The Queen… _Waka struggled to put the thought together. His mind seemed hazy, so blurry, ready to let go. _If she is in there…_ Let go, give up the wind… _No... I shouldn't._ Whatever this was, he couldn't let it win over him. Waka forced his focus onto the Queen. Inside the throne room. Ignore the wind. Behind the red screen…

He flinched and closed his eyes. He didn't want to go towards that screen, didn't want to look at it, not when the red swam through his vision like blood, so much like blood and bodies and death...

_You have to._ Waka stepped over to the screen, keeping his eyes focused on the wall. He pushed it back, stepped into the room and looked around.

The Queen's limp body floated in the center of the room. Her eyes were open but staring almost lifelessly, her head lolled towards him. As Waka stepped closer, her eyes widened, as if a warning—

The sudden gust of wind flooded his senses, sending him reeling.

Seinaru fell to the floor with a thud. Waka saw her lift herself from the ground—alive—and then the whispers swelled again and he froze. As he watched, the wind swirled, coalescing in one place—visible as it shaped into a female form. The form was translucent, its outline constantly shifting from one form to the next. Fascinated, he stopped to watch it.

"Don't let her touch you!" Seinaru shouted, and Waka's head cleared. The figure offhandedly made a motion towards her, and the queen made a choking sound, her hands flying to her throat.

_Don't listen to her. I know what you really want… _Waka paused, trying to understand exactly what it was he supposedly wanted. Perhaps if he waited it would just explain itself…

"Shattered by lightning from another world… Why did I ever believe your lies?" Seinaru forced the words out, struggling to inhale. "I healed you, I let you in, and you…"

_Oh, shush. _Her voice died away, not a breath left to speak. _I wouldn't lie… You, however…_ The spirit shook its head in disapproval and turned away from her. The queen's breath returned, but she stayed silent, inching towards the crystal orb.

The spirit leaned forward, its face unnervingly close. Too close. Panicked, Waka activated his flute and slashed, but the blade distorted and vibrated loudly as it passed through. The spirit laughed, a light, airy laugh.

_Silly Waka… You know that trick won't work on me. _He found the strength to jump away as it reached up a hand for his face. _Come on, just tell me where it is… _From the corner of his eye, Waka could see the queen, kneeling before the crystal orb as if in prayer. What was she… No, he had to trust that she knew what she was doing. As he watched, the crystal orb began to glow. The spirit pressed him, slowly moving forward as if caught in a headwind.

_There's no reason to resist, where is it? _Seinaru stood, palms pointed towards the spirit, and then the orb flashed. Blinding light burst through the room, and Waka could make out the figure as it split and dissolved into the wind. When the light faded, there was only silence. The air no longer carried hints of any presence.

The spirit had been shattered again. Seinaru lowered her hands, now trembling, mumbling reassuring words to herself. Hesitantly, Waka went over to her.

"She kept me trapped for so long…" Her voice was quiet again, trying to disguise any quaver. Seinaru took another deep breath. "It's not done yet. Something else is coming, something greater than this spirit…"

Just as she spoke, the light that streamed in began to disappear. All around, the world began to darken in an unnatural night.

* * *

Extra Scene-

The breeze blew gently through the grass, wafting the scent of flowers across the Plain. Waka had gone far from the rest of the Moon Tribe—or Celestials, as a few of them called themselves now—to tell Sugawara what had just happened.

"It's the first clear vision I've had since we arrived."

"This is significant, then. Visions have grown very infrequent since we left the Moon…" Sugawara began to make notes on his Water Tablet. "Tell me what you saw." Waka closed his eyes, remembering.

"I think it showed somewhere on the planet… There was some sort of shrine. It looked sort of like Moon Tribe construct, but I could tell it wasn't… Somehow." Waka shrugged. "The surroundings were shown in detail. Maybe when this shrine is created, I'll be able to find it…" Suddenly the wind gusted away, and Waka glanced around, noticing the feel of a presence that had once been there. Was someone watching them…?

"Perhaps you can find it, but you might not be able to travel, or you may forget details. I will record the location details in the Ark." Sugawara looked up at Waka intently. "Tell me what you saw."


	11. Eclipse

**Summary: The city of the Moon is attacked, setting off a chain of events that reach far beyond its source. One of the survivors journeys across Nippon, trying to stop what his people have released.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Okami, it belongs to Capcom and Clover. Okamiden also belongs to Capcom.**

**Last chapter, the weird windy thing was finally dispelled, Seinaru got what will probably be her last chapter as a main character, and everything began to get very dark. Also, a short chapter because I didn't really write it beforehand and then had to rush… =_=**

* * *

Waka dashed outside, looking for the source of the sudden darkness. He looked up at the sky and gaped. This was impossible. The sun was vanishing, in the middle of the sky, as though it was being eaten away. Seinaru stepped outside, still pale but she had found her resolve.

"Call the Tao Troopers. The demons will be coming." Demons. Of course the darkness would draw them to the city… Waka nodded and rushed to the training building.

When he burst in the mutterings of the troopers fell immediately silent.

"Demons are invading the city. Spread out through the commoners' quarter and protect the civilians. You may have to fight blind." They stared at him for a moment. "This is not a training exercise!" He barked, "Go, now!" As the troopers fumbled for their weapons, Waka headed back towards the temple, glancing up at the sky. The sun was only a crescent. He hoped the troopers were ready for their first real battle to be a difficult one.

There was a screech atop the temple walls. Waka drew his sword at the sound. In moments, he had cleared the distance and the imp's body toppled down from the wall with one clean stab. Squinting to make out the queen's shape, he activated his flute and Seinaru flinched, her face illuminated by the glowing blade.

"The troopers are spread out through the commoners' quarter." She nodded, blinking at the light.

"Good… The buildings here are fairly secure. I… I will fight off the demons with you." Waka looked questioningly at her, then at the priestesses he could see gathered in from of the temple. "I may not have the skills of the warrior, but I do have the powers of a miko. The temple will be safe."

The last sliver of sunlight vanished, and only the glow of his flute remained. The queen knelt in prayer, and the priestesses took up the chant. Waka left the temple and headed outside.

Immediately demons lunged at the glimmer from his blade, but a wide slash repelled them briefly. No barrier came. The demons were free to roam anywhere. Waka sliced out at the nearest demons, careful not to step too far from the wall. Now they did not attack, skittering from the light. He deactivated his flute for a moment, hoping to lure them closer, and as soon as he did there was only darkness and snarls. The flute was swiped from his hand, the demons swarmed, clawing for him. Waka held his sword sideways, holding them away from his throat as best as he could.

Suddenly there was light, growing slowly across the ground, but the sun was still covered. Then a familiar wolf dashed through, light seeming to spill from its fur and fire blazing from its back.

"Shin?!" As he watched it seared through the ranks of demons, almost an inferno. They howled and retreated, and Waka quickly knelt to the ground and felt for his flute. The wolf stopped in front of him, transforming mid-step into Shin, the light fading to a dim aura. "What are you doing here? You're going to get yourself killed!" Shin glanced over into the darkness, then looked back at Waka and grinned.

"Don't worry so much. I've been learning how to fight, too." Then he was a wolf again, dashing towards the demons as they recovered their nerve. The cluster of flames on its back whirled, each demon it hit bursting into clusters of flowers as they fell. Waka snapped to action, reactivating his flute and joining the fray, stabbing and slicing until demons blossomed all around them.

They had not been fighting long before the wolf's light seemed to stand out less against the surroundings. He glanced up briefly to see the sun overhead, reappearing as a growing crescent in the sky. The remaining demons squealed and retreated, scaling the city walls again for escape.

The wolf flopped down at his feet, panting. Waka smiled and began to walk back towards the temple, gesturing for Shin to follow. The wolf slowly padded behind him, until he passed through the temple walls and realized Shin was walking beside him.

"Who is that?" Seinaru looked exhausted as well, and some of the priestesses had scratches from a demon's claws.

"Um… This is Shin. A friend." Shin stared at Seinaru for a second, head tipped to the side. He seemed to debate asking something for a moment.

"You both have..." Shin stopped and did not continue. Puzzled, Seinaru just nodded in greeting and went back to addressing the priestesses. "I should leave soon. Kamui has had a lot of demon attacks recently…" Waka nodded. Shin had just come and then he would have to leave again… But if he was helping to protect others from the demons by leaving, then he could understand.

As the sun shone overhead, the wolf left the temple.


	12. Nightfall

**Summary: The city of the Moon is attacked, setting off a chain of events that reach far beyond its source. One of the survivors journeys across Nippon, trying to stop what his people have released.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Okami, it belongs to Capcom and Clover. Okamiden also belongs to Capcom.**

**Last chapter we experience the Day of Darkness as dramatized by me… Which I honestly doubt is accurate to canon. Also, Shin finally reappears. You remember Shin? Well, he's going to be around for a bit more.**

* * *

As he crept through the village, Shin could hear little except for the villagers' hushed voices and his own paw steps. Kamiki Village was dwindling, less houses occupied each year. Shin could've become human, easily heard how many were left, but... He couldn't right now, not while he was in the village. It would be too risky, when it provoked them just to see him...

"Shiranui!" One of the villagers had spotted him. As he tried to hide again, the villagers crowded around, shouting. "Get away from here, you demon!" Shin hung his head and skulked away. That was another reason to stay a wolf. He didn't want to hear their minds' hate as well. The word "demon" still echoed in his mind even though he didn't hear it. Did they really think he was a demon, just like all of the imps and other creatures? Sometimes, briefly, he could almost hear something from them while he fought…

Shin forced that train of thought away as the woman stepped out, dressed in plain white. The sacrifice. He could see the villagers, trying to hide their weeping as she passed by. Her face was calm, unchanged, and her steps were steady. As she passed under the village gate, Shin followed.

Her determined pace grew shakier as she walked along Shinshu Field's footpath, towards the Moon Cave. For a moment she stopped and looked around. Shin froze, hoping he would not be seen. The sight of the village's demon would only bring more fear.

His ears pricked up at the sound of soft footsteps, and he suppressed a yip of excitement. The footsteps, still faint, grew closer… Then Shin turned towards the sound and nearly bowled Waka over. He immediately stepped back and sat down, tail wagging frantically as Waka picked himself up.

"Was that necessary?" Shin forced himself back into human form and stood up, the voices rushing back into his mind. He grinned sheepishly, already catching an undercurrent of embarrassment in Waka's thoughts.

"Sorry… It's more difficult to control emotions in that form." Waka's thoughts were embarrassed, but the undertones were... hopeful. Shin caught a snippet of words—_does that mean…?_—but it was hurriedly muffled again.

"Tsukuyomi hasn't been found yet." _The sword, not the person_. Waka's expression changed to one of thought. "I haven't had a single vision since the crash…" Which was unusual, his thoughts implied. And there had only been one vision since the Moon Tribe had left the Moon, since Tsukuyomi had been gone… But Shin wasn't supposed to know about that.

"You don't know why." Waka shook his head. Shin knew the last vision had been his, on the Celestial Plain. It was strange, though, that he had heard familiarity in the vision, as though it had been placed in Waka's mind at some time before… "How has Sei'An been?" As soon as Shin asked he could hear the influx of thoughts, murmurs, memories of the place.

"The Queen has not associated much with the Tao Troopers since the base was levitated..." There was a project to engineer the Tao Base, something Seinaru had first assigned to Waka.

"So it actually floats now?" Shin listened intently to the images of Waka's memories, amazed at the sight of the building hovering—so much like Ark—far above the ground, just hanging in the air. Then he reconsidered Waka's thoughts on the current queen. "Are you worried? If the queen isn't helping you, then… the demons—"

A rumbling roar drew their attention to the lake, to the cave. The white of the maiden's robes was a single speck in the background. Orochi's heads seized the speck, blotted it out with inky blackness. And before he could react they had retreated again. Waka's mind thrummed with guilt, _I should be doing something to stop this…_

"Please, don't say that… Blaming yourself only makes it hurt more." The guilt echoed in Shin's mind as well, but he wouldn't retreat, not when Waka needed someone to help the pain.

"But…" Shin stepped forward and hugged him. He fell silent, and his thoughts calmed. For a moment they were both still, then Shin detected a hint of tension and retreated, looking out towards the lake. A shimmering purple barrier remained in front of the cave's mouth. After the first sacrifice, it had appeared… Waka had been inside the cave during that time, and he guessed that he had been spotted intruding. Together, Shin knew they could probably break the barrier… but they had agreed not to try until the sword had been found.

"I need to leave soon." _To report back to the new Queen._ Shin nodded, feeling a sinking in his chest again, then transformed back into a wolf as he watched Waka leave. It would be okay, he told himself, they would meet again next year. Just as they had, year after year… Shin almost dreaded the year when Waka would come and say he had found the sword, it was time to defeat Orochi and then move on with their lives alone.

Shin padded back over the outcrop and, flicking his tail in a brushstroke up the wall, walked up to the top of it. Before he entered the tunnel that would lead to Kamui, he stopped and looked back out at the darkened, silent field. It looked so empty… everything felt so empty… Shin felt a howl build in his throat, the sound filling the field, but it only seemed to empty his lungs and something else he could not place.

_It's only a year… Only a year then he'll be back… _He suppressed the howl, holding down the sounds of sadness. Shouldn't be so sad. Maybe if he didn't think about them they would go away…

He began the long walk back to Kamui, back his land of masks and ice.


	13. Sunset

**Summary: ****The city of the Moon is attacked, setting off a chain of events that reach far beyond its source. One of the survivors journeys across Nippon, trying to stop what his people have released.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Okami, it belongs to Capcom and Clover. Okamiden also belongs to Capcom. **

**Last chapter, Shin got his own chapter to have a perspective and some attempted characterization. This chapter, well… Canon happens, that's all I'm going to say. Whee, super long chapter...**

* * *

No matter how many times Waka saw each maiden walk their path to the Moon Cave, he could never rid himself of the guilt that came. How many times had he watched from afar as each maiden was taken, snatched by Orochi's heads into that cave, when he could not follow? Even though each time he reminded himself that there was nothing more he could do, that only made him feel worse.

_Don't think like that…_ Every time, he knew that it was painful for Shin to hear those thoughts, but the reminder of his voice hardly cleansed them. He'd let Shin down, too...

A white robe flickered in the corner of his eye, and he had to look twice to confirm what he was seeing. One of the men from the village was dressed in the sacrificial robe, a jug of sake under his arm as he marched towards the Moon Cave. Waka could not help but wonder what had possibly happened in the village to result in this turn of events.

He noticed the sword strapped to the man's back, and mentally reeled in shock. Tsukuyomi. Even under a wooden guise, he recognized the blade, and along with that he recalled the visions forseen so long ago. It was time. This man was the one who would defeat Orochi.

This year would end the guilt, end the terror that had been laid upon that village, end it all. Waka couldn't help a small grin. It was fitting, how Orochi's terror would come to an end on the night of its hundredth sacrifice, the night when rumors said it would grow more powerful. Instead it would be gone.

He looked around. Where was Shin? Usually he was waiting here by the time Waka arrived…

Constantly glancing back at the village entrance, Waka trailed slowly after the man. Even at that pace, he was getting close to the pathway that led across the lake and he had yet to see the familiar white wolf…

There was a roar, and Waka watched as Tsukuyomi and its wielder were enveloped by Orochi's heads. As the heads withdrew the man was gone, taken into the Moon Cave. Waka looked over the barrier, the snaking purple tendrils of it softly hissing. No visible weak points. Could he break it alone…?

Across Lake Harami, a light began to shine within the dark clouds, bobbing up and down across the surface of the water.

_Shin!_ Waka hurried down the pathway, and as he reached the cave entrance the wolf leapt onto the path, landing and shaking wisps of murkiness from its fur. Across the lake, a path of large lilypads disappeared one by one in flashes of light.

"Ugh! We really shouldn't have taken the shortcut…" Waka jumped at the high-pitched, chirpy voice coming from his friend. Then he realized the voice had come from a glowing yellow insect bouncing atop the wolf's head. "And it wasn't much of shortcut at all, we still missed Nagi-who's this guy?" The wolf yipped, occasionally running in circles and then staring back at Waka. "Uh… what?" More barking. "Okay. If you use your brush technique… Hey, can you help us out? Just slash at the barrier, and Shiranui's brush technique will do the rest." Waka unsheathed his sword, pausing as he looked at the swirling barrier. His hands were shaking a bit—why?

He dashed towards the barrier and struck as hard as he could, and he could feel the power of Shin's brush behind his slash. The barrier dissipated and the hissings vanished into the night air like trails of mist. When Waka looked back, the wolf was already rushing into the cave, the insect clinging to its head. He hurried after, trying not to get left behind.

When Waka caught up to the wolf, it was sitting in the middle of a darkened room, still as a statue.

"Shin…" The wolf's tail flicked once, its eyes trained on him.

"Wait, who's Shin? This here is Shiranui!" The wolf tossed its head, flicking the insect away. "And I'm Ishaku, the sixth Celestial Envoy. Look, Nagi's going to be getting here soon and if we don't hurry…" The wolf made a sound almost like a cough. "Okay, fine, I'll go watch for him…" Ishaku bounced off, grumbling the whole way. Waka looked back at Shin.

"It's time… That man, Nagi, he's carrying Tsukuyomi." The wolf's ears drooped. "…What is it?" Silence. "Shin, please talk to me… I can't understand you as a wolf." The wolf slowly sat up and, after a focused pause—it seemed more difficult each passing year—, shifted into Shin's human form. Waka waited for him to speak.

Shin wrapped his arms around him and buried his face in his shoulder, holding back a sob. Waka froze, not wanting to back away, but…

"Please don't leave me… please don't leave…" Shin murmured softly.

"Shin, what are you talking about? I-I'm not going to leave." He felt Shin relax, then hesitantly release his grip and step back. "Um… we should talk about this after the fight."

"Yes… after the fight." Shin's voice was a whisper. "Waka… I—"

"Might want to hurry up, guys, Nagi just passed by!" Shin quickly resumed the form of a wolf as Ishaku bounced back into the room. "Though neither of you noticed is beyond me…" Shin's tail was wagging the whole way to Orochi's chambers.

As soon as they entered, the fight had begun. Orochi's golden scales showed no marks, even as Nagi hacked at it with Tsukuyomi. The sword had shed its wooden guise for the familiar blue, and Orochi's heads still shied warily from the blade. Nagi leapt back again, dumping the sake bottle into a rivet on the floor and tossing the bottle away. The sake glittered as it filled the rivets across the floor, all around the battlefield.

Orochi's fiery head roared, out of the corner of his eye Waka saw Shin's tail flick, and a jet of sake rushed down the demon's throat. Nagi pummeled at the disoriented head until it snapped back, roaring with the beginnings of flame. Waka stopped watching the fight and dashed around Orochi, drawing his swords and slashing towards a watery head. It burbled out a torrent of water, and he hopped away as it splashed against the tiles. As it roared, he leapt up and jammed his sword into the serpent's jaw.

The entire Orochi recoiled, the water head gagging as water splattered from its mouth. Shin had joined the fight, evading the lunges of each head until the sake made them dizzy. Waka glanced back at Nagi, and began to engage a different head, the watery one sufficiently weakened. He heard Shin yelp in pain—Orochi's fangs had grazed him—while the earthy head in front of him slammed down. Waka raised both swords up to block, but was still knocked to the ground. He jumped to his feet, retaliating with a stab at the head's eyes.

He didn't know how long they had been fighting before Nagi's strikes seemed to tire. Nagi stumbled, and the heads dove for their chance, but before he knew it Shin was dashing in, Nagi rolled to the side and looking back and the wolf struggling in Orochi's jaws. Shin wriggled free, striking the poisonous purple head with flames. Waka flinched as he saw streaks of red appear across the white pelt. The memory of the maiden's corpse was all he could see, the red bleeding into his vision.

No. They were here to end this. There would be no more blood. Once Orochi was gone… The head in front of him lunged, and out of reflex he blocked it, forcing the images from his mind. Just had to keep fighting.

Nagi stumbled again, breathing heavily, and again Shin leapt between him and Orochi.

The head plummeted down and there was a sickening crack. Shin wasn't moving. Orochi's heads regarded the wolf. Waka couldn't stop himself any longer from charging back towards the heads, behind him Nagi pulled Shin out of the heads' reach. The flurry of blades did nothing even as Orochi's heads dangled tipsily.

"C'mon Shiranui, get up! You have to!" Ishaku's frantic voice nearly made Waka pause, but he kept going, keeping Orochi's attention away from the others. One of the heads spurted out a tongue of flame, but it only hit the floor, nowhere near where he was standing. Another head crashed into the first. Waka just sighed and walked away. Orochi didn't seem like much of a threat anymore. "What are you doing?!" Shin had slowly gotten to his feet, standing unsteadily as he limped back towards the demon.

He howled, clear and loud, and above them the moon glowed in the open sky. Nagi's sword began to glow in response, the blue vanishing beneath gold. Faint wisps of light swirled around, coalescing into a familiar shape. Waka seemed to be the only one who could see Tsukuyomi's ghostly form, looking at her faded hands with terror.

Nagi slashed at the neck of the earthen head, and Waka watched, stunned, as the head separated from the body. The golden armor of Orochi's scales no longer affected Nagi's sword, beheading each head one by one. The final head cleaved in half, Waka looked out only for a moment at the carnage that had once been Orochi, and smiled. It was over. Orochi was dead.

Shin collapsed, and Tsukuyomi's ghost gave a silent scream. Nagi gently picked up the wolf's body and rushed off. Ishaku began to bounce, pacing back and forth.

"It's okay… he's going to be all right, he's a god." And gods couldn't die. Waka wasn't sure who he was speaking to. After a pause, Ishaku bounced onto his shoulder and they took off to follow Nagi.

He looked around Kamiki Village, everyone crowded with hushed voices around Shin's body. The village elder reached out a hand towards his bloodstained fur, and he barked softly. For a moment, his eyes seemed to drift over to Waka, then Shin whimpered. And then he fell silent and limp, and his eyes unfocused.

Waka felt cold, looking back at the body and wishing, pleading, that it would show some sign of life. Gods weren't supposed to die… Shin wasn't supposed to die.

"If anyone ever speaks of this night, I was never here." Waka whispered to Ishaku, and then was gone into the night.


	14. Last Quarter

**Summary: The city of the Moon is attacked, setting off a chain of events that reach far beyond its source. One of the survivors journeys across Nippon, trying to stop what his people have released.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Okami, it belongs to Capcom and Clover. Okamiden also belongs to Capcom.**

**Well then. Last chapter was very dramatic… except the prose probably failed in conveying that. Basically, Orochi's dead, Shin's dead, and Waka has a sad. Let's see what happens now.**

* * *

Tsukuyomi did not remember how she had awoken, or when she had fallen asleep. She turned her head slightly to look at the surroundings, then paused. Not the Moon. Somewhere else.

This wasn't right.

_One has no physical form within a vision. _Tsukuyomi looked down at her hands and flinched. They were translucent, barely visible to her own eyes, and that was when she heard a howl. The moon glistened above, so far away, and she felt suddenly weak. She couldn't see her hands at all, everything seared with cold as the blue blade glowed gold. Then, as she watched, the vision began to repeat itself.

Red blossomed across her brother's skin, he collapsed. Tsukuyomi heard herself scream, and then everything had become icy and filled with blue.

When she opened her eyes again, the Orochi was rising, a ghostly form. The sword was there, had cut the beast and made it bleed.

_Fall by its blade, and become slave to its will... _Tsukuyomi watched a darkness rise that she knew no others would see.

_The curse,_ she thought, _it's real. The curse is upon us both._

**Moon goddess, what trickery is this?** Orochi roared, but Tsukuyomi did not even know if she could call it by that name anymore. It was only a shadow now, a formless collection of blackness. **You dare defy me, Yami, and you have secured your final demise!** She closed her eyes. Yami. So that was what the creature called itself now. It seemed to speak more aggressively through Orochi's form… Her thoughts were cut short when a tendril of darkness coiled around her arm.

Tsukuyomi jerked away, the tendrils dissipating. The darkness swelled, like oil splattered across the blue. Orochi's blood.

Or the feathers of crows. Her heart chilled, feeling as cold and fragile as ice.

"Amanozako! If you can hear me..." She called out to the blue, no answer but the hisses of the roiling shadows. "No words can undo what I have done." She closed her eyes. "But I will die by your curse, and that is the greatest penance I can give." She waited for the shadow to strike, to envelop her, for everything to end.

There was nothing. Her eyes were forced open. Independent of her control, her body-or what form she had of it-shifted into a fighting stance. An inhuman rage began to course through her.

The blue of the sword commanded them to fight.

* * *

Darkness again.

Waka watched as the last sliver of the sun was consumed by shadow. He had instructed the Tao Troopers to prepare for combat as soon as he saw the sky darkening at midday, and his caution was not in vain. They would be stationed throughout the city at this point, escorting the citizens to safety.

"What's happening to the sun?" Kimiko whispered from behind him. He turned back to give the young princess a stern look. She grinned sheepishly and stepped back towards the temple. "Sorry, I really didn't want to do prayers. It's just so boring." A faraway growl came from the darkness and she cringed.

"There are demons out here." Kimiko squinted into the darkness, trying to catch a glimpse.

"Cool."

"No, not at all. Go back inside. I can't allow you to be harmed." Kimiko groaned and kicked a loose tile. The tile spun into the shadows, and Waka heard a snarl. "Find the Queen and tell her to gather the priestesses indoors." The growls were closer now, and more in number.

"But I just—Aah!" A demon lunged out from the darkness, teeth bared, and Kimiko shrieked, "By the kami, it's disgusting!" Surprisingly, it turned and scuttled back into the shadows. He shot a glance back at the princess.

"Go, now!" Kimiko hurried back into the temple. Waka drew his sword and shifted to cover her way. The first demons lunged, nearly in unison, only to be slashed back by two blades, one of metal and the other of light. Waka flipped his sword into a backhand and proceeded slowly down the steps, keeping the glowing blade of his flute in front of him. Another demon was creeping in from the side, the scrabble of claws against stone too loud to avoid detection. Turning towards the sound, Waka doused the flute's light momentarily and cleared the distance. One slice on an unsuspecting demon, the thump of a body to the ground, then the light was back and he had returned to the path, observing the barely visible mass of demons.

Waka charged in the fray without hesitation. Slashing down demon after demon, hardly faltering, thoughts came quick and fled even quicker. There was only reflex, reaction, until Waka saw another light in the dark. Glowing blue patterns, running across clay... Childlike, it took stumbling steps towards him, and he couldn't help but remember...

Hello, I am Dogu-0836, Moon division. Do you require assistance?_ The stout robot, covered in Moon rock-gray, floated from its post... _

Waka was jolted from the memory when the creature reached for a weapon across its back. This wasn't a Dogu. This wasn't the Moon.

Just another demon. Waka slashed, felt the brittle clay shatter and readied, searching out the next strike. How had that reminded him? The demons were retreating from the temple grounds, perhaps intimidated that the clay creature had fallen so easily.

He looked over at the Tao Troopers stationed within the temple. They were doing well, more experienced than those who had fought during the first Day of Darkness. Sometimes, though, they would miss a fatal strike, or allow the demons to flee. There would be a lecture on that after the battle, Waka decided, slashing another demon into a burst of flowers and light. They couldn't afford to show the demons any mercy.

The light of the flowers faded. For a moment the grounds were silent, only disturbed by the troopers' reorienting and the steps of demons outside. In the brief lull Waka allowed himself a moment of rest.

Footsteps behind him. He whirled, sword at the ready and plunged it into the demon's chest. Looking back through the temple, there were only more demons approaching from outside, their footsteps casting shadows in the glimmer of his flute. A moment passed, the demons quietly shifting in the shadows. Waka did not back away from the gate.

He was outnumbered. The best option was to stay defensive. Waka pulled his sword out of the demon's corpse and waited for the rest to attack.

No attack came. Only the patters of faint footsteps growing fainter. They had fled. Waka felt expectation well in his chest. No one else could have frightened off the demons so completely.

_He's here._ He rushed outside, scanning for Shin's familiar light. There were so many things he wanted to tell him…

Waka stopped mid-step, remembering. No one was there. No one would be coming. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying not to remember the red, staining Shin's body as his eyes became dull and lifeless.

Waka screamed. The light of his flute flickered out as it tumbled to the ground and the demons came rushing back in numbers but there was no fear, no caution, only rage for the monsters whose kind had taken everything from him. And then the sword began to slice into everything, the demons falling so fast and yet there were so many. Their cries, screeches and growls, they all fell on deaf ears before the blade cut them down. Waka didn't know if he bled, didn't care if his form was wild, because he had to make the demons pay, their lives for Shin's.

Waka didn't know how long he fought, only when there were no more left except for the piles of corpses. Now he began to notice how his limbs ached from exertion. The sun began to return, but its light seemed dull, faded. Waka's sword glistened with a coat of demon blood, but no matter how many he had slain it would never be enough to bring him back.

_Shin…_ Waka felt tears pricking at him again, and closed his eyes, suppressing them. He picked up his flute and headed back to the temple.

* * *

Extra Scene-

"Can't we go back already? There's, like, nothing around here!" One of the imps whined as they dragged their feet through the grass. The tallest imp, leading the group, stopped and growled at them.

"Look, do you want to die again?" The entire group shuddered in memory. The tall imp addressed all of them. "If we go back now, empty handed, what d'you think the rest of the pack will do?" They received only blank stares in response.

"Dunno, maybe take away our gliders?" The tall imp huffed through their teeth.

"If you all don't get some wits quick, you won't be wearing this blue skin for long. They'll probably leave you in the daylight to die." The tall imp began to storm off, muttering, and the other imps trailed along, making sure to voice their complaints quietly.

"Stupid initiation…"

"Stupid eclipse…"

"Look, a cave!" One of the imps pointed with their long bamboo flute towards the lake. "There's gotta be something in there…" The tall imp nodded, and the pack of blue imps loped into the cave and spread out.

"Whoa, look in here!" Eight heads were splayed out across the floor of the room, and the stale stench of blood and sake filled the air. The imps began to explore the corpse, climbing over the winding necks. A few began to try scaling the walls, finding places to jump off and glide down. The tall imp stopped in front of the nearest head and examined it. It had been sliced in half cleanly down the middle, but otherwise the insides were almost perfectly intact. The eyes still seemed to glitter with malice.

"Let's take these parts." The imp gestured to the two halves of the fiery-crowned head. Another imp swooped overhead, screeching with glee, but quickly landed and fell silent as though nothing had happened. The other imps were beginning to gather around, regarding the head. At a nod, some of them began to saw at the base of the head's neck, then picked up the end of it.

"Ready.. heave!" The imps hefted the neck up, some using gliders to support it, and began to inch towards the cave exit, jostling against each other.

"…my glider's gonna have all these cool bloodstains now…"

"What're we going to call it?"

"How about… the Red Head!" The tall imp sighed.

"...Sure, why not."


	15. Dawn

**Summary: ****The city of the Moon is attacked, setting off a chain of events that reach far beyond its source. One of the survivors journeys across Nippon, trying to stop what his people have released.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Okami, it belongs to Capcom and Clover. Okamiden also belongs to Capcom.**

**Last chapter, the Day of Darkness happened again, we find out that Tsukuyomi is a ghost and this story is weird. Well, the sword is weird, but the sword is a part of the story sooo… You know what, I'll just give you the chapter now.**

* * *

Waka had hardly bothered to get out of bed.

What was the use? There was nothing left. No Orochi, no darkness for another century. No Moon Tribe.

No Shin. He didn't try to block out the sadness anymore, just closed his eyes and let it win.

There was a knock on the door.

"Waka?" Kimiko's muffled voice came from just outside. He opened his eyes. "My mom says you should go talk to the Tao Troopers. Something about a debrief?" Waka stared up at the ceiling silently. "You've got to be starving in there. Please come out…" After a few seconds, he heard Kimiko sigh, then her footsteps fading down the corridor.

_Probably should debrief the troopers… _Slowly, after a long pause, he stood up and looked around the room. He set aside a small picture scroll painted with a scene of cherry blossoms—it was the closest he could find to the scenery of the Celestial Plain. There wasn't any point in keeping it now…

Out of habit, Waka took the Water Tablet and his flute, strapped on his sword, and walked out. The temple halls were silent, empty. The priestesses would be in prayer, he guessed.

When he reached the temple gates, someone was standing there, white hair obscuring their face. He stopped. His breath caught in his throat.

"Shin…?" She looked up, green eyes wide and puzzled. Waka's heart sank a bit. Of course it wasn't…

"Who are you?" She asked, glancing towards the temple.

"I'm…" Waka hesitated for a moment, reminding himself who this was not. "Ushiwaka." She quietly repeated the name to herself, sounding out the syllables. After a moment's pause she seemed to remember herself and bowed in introduction.

"I am Amaterasu, brush god of the Sunrise." She studied him, tilting her head back and forth as though it would make something more clear to her. "I feel like I should remember you, but… my memory only begins a few months ago." Only a few months ago… Waka began to wonder. Amaterasu's eyes seemed unfocused now, looking far away. Hesitantly, she began to sound out a word. "Cherie…" Waka froze. "I remember… you called me that?"

_Never out loud._ No one else could have possibly known about that… Waka suppressed the emotions that had begun to rise to the surface. She had almost no memory. It would probably just frighten her. But Shin was alive.

When he began to speak, his voice trembled. "Um… Why are you in Sei'An city, anyway?" She glanced into the courtyard again.

"I felt like there was something here… Like I was drawn to it…" Then, without warning, she seemed to tense, restraining a twitch. "It's changing… There's somewhere else I need to go. Somewhere near…" Amaterasu frowned, staring off into some place no one else could see. "Is there a coast nearby?"

"Ryoshima Coast is just outside the city." He watched her look around, seeming for one second like a lost child. "I can take you there," he offered. Amaterasu smiled gratefully, and Waka felt a small flutter of happiness.

* * *

"What exactly are you looking for?" Amaterasu stopped and looked around.

"I'm not sure…" She had immediately headed towards the northern part of the coast as soon as they had gotten out of the city, but now she seemed less sure of her direction, often glancing down at her feet. He looked out at the islands, watching the waves ripple inland, and wondered why the queen would want to seal off such a place. "There's someone over there..." Amaterasu pointed somewhere across the coast, and when Waka saw the familiar figure standing there he broke into a run.

"Sugawara!" Waka grinned, stopping in front of his former mentor. He'd almost doubted they would ever meet again...

"Ushiwaka. It's nice to see you again," Sugawara greeted him in the language of the Moon Tribe. Beside them, Amaterasu lay on the grass, playing with the blades between her fingers. "How have you been over the last century?" Waka shrugged.

"After the Ark crashed, I've mostly been in Sei'An City…" He was surprised how easily conversation had come back to him. "Ended up as part of an elite soldier group… Met a few queens… You know, normal stuff. What about you?"

"Currently I've been trying to observe the city. There is also some sort of Moon Tribe base buried here… it's inaccessible, and the signals it gives off aren't compatible with Tablets, but it gave another reason to stay in this area. And the government model they use seems to be centralized around Sei'An… It's so different from the Moon, but perhaps when I can understand its workings…" Sugawara shook his head. "Not yet. Maybe once the current structure stabilizes." He noticed Waka's befuddled expression and chuckled. "Ah… I'm going off on a tangent again. Besides that…" He looked out at the coast for a moment. "Did you hear about the Orochi's defeat? It was only a few months ago. There was a wolf there that fought with the village… Shiranui?"

"I know." Waka looked down, his heart sinking. "That was Shin." Sugawara's eyes widened.

"Oh…" Sugawara bowed his head for a moment. "I'm sorry." Waka tried to smile.

"But… I think he was reincarnated as Amaterasu. She says she's a brush god, and can't remember much before a few months ago… and she knows some things that only Shin would know." He turned to gesture to her, only to find an empty space. She was gone. Looking around, he couldn't see her anywhere on the coast. When had she left?

"A brush god…? I've seen something similar around here… a strange cat appeared there one day, then climbed up that tower." Sugawara pointed to one of the islands, a stone tower reaching from it into the clouds. "It had white fur and red markings, a bit like Amaterasu. I'm not sure if you should jump to the conclusion that she is Shin, though… we're not even sure what happens to gods once they…" Sugawara trailed off, staring up at the dim outline of the Moon in the blue sky. Waka thought back to the Moon Cave—the memory of it wasn't so painful now—and remembered the apparition he thought he saw.

_It was probably just my imagination… _In the midst of the battle, it hadn't been easy to recall for sure. He remembered something. "Sugawara, have you had any visions recently?" Sugawara shook his head.

"No. They seemed to have stopped after those last ones on the Celestial Plain. Speaking of visions… There is one that I believe will come to pass soon. You will find a child that looks… almost exactly like you. Please bring them here when you find them." Waka nodded. "Until we meet again, Ushiwaka."

* * *

Extra Scene-

"Why can't I find what I'm looking for…? I thought that he would be part of it, but…" Amaterasu stopped her pacing, sitting down against a nearby tree, and sighed. It had seemed as though Ushiwaka would be where her journey continued, and now that she had left him the blank space in her memory seemed even emptier. She closed her eyes and let her body slump. "I wish I had someone else to travel with me…"

Amaterasu opened her eyes, and the form of a child, featureless, shimmered in and out of existence in front of her. She gasped and sat up, eyes flicking across the form. After a moment, her mind flickered back to Ushiwaka, and she watched as it mimicked her thoughts. She smiled.


	16. Ignite

**Summary: ****The city of the Moon is attacked, setting off a chain of events that reach far beyond its source. One of the survivors journeys across Nippon, trying to stop what his people have released.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Okami, it belongs to Capcom and Clover. Okamiden also belongs to Capcom.**

**Last chapter, Waka spontaneously got over his depression (sort of?), Sugawara appeared again to share a plot prophecy of convenience, and Amaterasu is a human with amnesia. Totally canon.**

* * *

_Where am I? _

_There is only nothingness all around me… Am I alive again?_

_Again…?_

_I… I hear a voice calling out. _

_Fire… Fyre… Is that my name? _

_It's fading. I can't hear him anymore…_

_Don't leave me!_

_Who was he? _

_...Who am I?_

* * *

"Kiyoko? Where are you?" Amaterasu called out, looking around the plains, peeking into the trees. She saw a golden yellow streak dart across one of the slopes. "Kiyoko!" The young fox stopped near her and began to clean its paws. "...Could you please turn back into human form?" The fox flattened its ears and whined, but Amaterasu gave a pleading look. It huffed and transformed into a teenage girl, her short blond hair mussed and falling into her eyes. "Kusa Village is just up the hill. I think that's where I need to go…" Kiyoko grumbled and followed her up the path.

The village seemed spacious, filled with the faint scents of flowers. Amaterasu walked over to the fence bordering the edge and looked out at the land below, the ever-present wind swirling through the mountains. For a moment, she felt light, like one strong gust would send her floating off with the leaves. She didn't need to go anywhere else...

_But I do._ Then the pull in her heart resumed. Her fingers began to tap urgently at their place on the fence's post. Amaterasu snapped out of her daze and looked back, where she was drawn to. _I want to find it. Whatever it is..._ Giant windmills slowly turned at the village's peak.

"It's up there…" Hardly thinking about it, she began to walk over to the bridge leading upwards. Kiyoko skulked along behind her, her arms crossed over her chest and glaring back at anyone who happened to give her hair odd looks. Amaterasu felt the wolf ears atop her head twitch in self-consciousness, but no one seemed to notice. After going further along the bridges, she stopped. There was another path going up, but also a single house sitting in the middle of the clearing.

As they drew nearer to the house, a chorus of barking erupted from inside. Kiyoko flinched, almost crouching into a four-legged shape. The barks died down, and she cautiously rose back to a standing position, edging away from the house.

"Do we have to go in there?" Amaterasu's wolf ears were pricked in anticipation. Suddenly her muscles seemed filled with pent up energy, yapping for her to run towards the barking.

_Is this the place? _She stepped closer. Kiyoko didn't follow. "I think..." A loud howl pierced the air, and the fox scampered away. Amaterasu looked back to see a dog racing from the house, a person chasing after it. For a moment she glanced back at the pathway, trying to find where Kiyoko had run off to. The dog stopped at her feet, skittering around her, and yelped, half-crouching. The person caught up, trying to shoo the dog back towards the house. Eventually, he gave up, fishing a small piece of meat out of a pouch and tossing it towards the house. The puppy raced off, and the person turned to Amaterasu, rubbing the back of his neck. The windmill decoration pinned in his hair slipped at the movement.

"Sorry about that… Welcome to Kusa Village. I'm the current priest of the Satomi House." She nodded absently, her eyes focused on the path leading upwards.

"Do you know where that path leads?" For a moment, imagination conjured Kiyoko, still a helpless fox, stumbling along, demons leaping out at her.

"It goes up to the Gale Shrine. There's been a strange demon sighted in there." Amaterasu drew a breath. The person noticed her nervous expression. "Don't worry. It hasn't actually attacked anyone." She gave a small grateful smile, then hurried up the path, noticing how the pull in her heart seemed to also be drawing her there as well.

_I guess we would've gone there anyway._ She paused briefly in front of the cave mouth that the path led to, looking around. The fox stepped towards her from the side—she hadn't noticed-, reluctantly turning back to a human form.

"Kiyoko!" Amaterasu cried out, wrapping her arms around her. "I was so worried… Please don't run off like that again. I promise, we don't need to go anywhere you don't want to…" Kiyoko hesitantly returned the gesture. Amaterasu stepped back and started towards the cave entrance, then stopped, looking back at Kiyoko. "Is it okay if we explore this place?" Kiyoko nodded, already peeking inside.

* * *

As they entered the shrine, the first thing Amaterasu noticed was the coldness, not a single torch lighting the dark stone. Soft scrabbles and chitters occasionally echoed down from the high ceiling. Drops of liquid plinked on the stones outside of the path.

"Is there anyone here?" Kiyoko whispered. Amaterasu squinted, making out the black outline of a doorway leading further in. For a moment, she thought she saw a flicker of movement within...

The cave suddenly fell silent.

_Tap. Tap._ Kiyoko kept peering towards the doorway. Something light shifted in the shadows... Amaterasu tensed, already stepping backwards, against the pull.

A creature came roaring forth from the corridor, coated in fire. On four skeletal legs, it wobbled forward, its bony arms swinging wildly. With a shock, Amaterasu realized that it was completely made of bones, animated and set aflame by some mysterious force. A frightened squeak escaped her throat, and she scampered a few steps back. Kiyoko stayed where she was, reaching for her brush—that wouldn't help, it was useless, they had to run.

Within the depths of the temple, someone shouted.

"Kaze, it's back again! The… what's its name, now?" Amaterasu felt a sudden tug at her heart and stopped. Drawing closer...?

"It is my nemesis, the Red Head!" A large white horse galloped past the skeleton, the surges of wind in its wake beating back the flames. With a heroic neigh, it reared up and Amaterasu had to crouch to the ground at the sudden gust. The flames extinguished, the bones clattered to the ground. As the horse turned to face its stunned audience, Amaterasu noticed the red markings that swirled across its coat. "Greetings, travelers. I am Kazegami, brush god of Galestorm and protector of Kusa Village."

"You're a talking horse." Kiyoko stared. Kazegami nodded, then stopped for a moment, looking thoughtful. Behind the horse, a flock of blue imps glided down from the cave ceiling, smacking each other and chattering angrily as they collected the pile of bones. "What's Galestorm? Was that wind stuff earlier all you?" Kazegami blinked, refocusing on them. Nobody paid any attention to the imps crawling back up the cave walls.

"Yes. Would you like to learn?" Kiyoko looked over at Amaterasu. She nodded and smiled.

"Yeah, okay." Kiyoko shrugged. "I already know how to use a brush, so it's just the technique." The horse pulled his lips back in a semblance of a smile, then turned and began to head through the dark doorway, motioning for Kiyoko to follow. Amaterasu paused for a moment, then the feel of her heart's pull told her she should go with Kazegami as well. Maybe he knew where it was…

She looked around the next room, while Kazegami directed Kiyoko on the brushstrokes. There were torches mounted on the walls, and her eyes welcomed the brightness. The air was still, and the pool of water in the center of the cavern, though motionless, did not seem stagnant.

A gust of wind blew through the cavern, rippling the pool's surface and causing the torches to flicker.

"Yes!" Kiyoko punched at the air, jumping around the room in triumph. After only knowing how to summon the sun—which honestly wasn't that useful—using another technique made knowing how to use a brush seem worthwhile. Kazegami watched her celebration, eyes twinkling.

"I'm going to get something more difficult for you to practice with." He went through to the next room. Meanwhile, Kiyoko walked around the pool, occasionally painting breezes over the surface of the water. Kazegami returned, holding a green glaive gently between his teeth. A swirl of dark green floated along the sword, dividing the blade into two parts. He laid it down near Kiyoko, indicating the swirled part with a hoof. "Can you make this part spin?"

Kiyoko frowned, hesitantly lifting her brush, but put her hand down without making a stroke. She knelt and lifted the sword upright, so it stood with the point balanced on the cave floor.

"Can I try like this?" Kazegami nodded, and she removed one hand from the sword to lift her brush. She grimaced, struggling to keep the sword upright with one hand, and Amaterasu saw her paint a swirl in front of her. A soft breeze filled the cavern, and the swirled part of the sword rotated rapidly from the focused wind. Kazegami smiled again.

"Speaking of this sword… Its name is Kusanagi, but it doesn't get much use left in this village. If you are willing, I would like for you to take it with you." Amaterasu frowned. Kiyoko didn't have any sword training… she'd probably end up hurting herself.

"Wow… Really?" Kiyoko didn't look over at her, too focused on the sword. Her sword. Then she remembered herself and looked over. "Mom, did you find it?" Amaterasu shook her head. The pull had seemed to direct her to Kazegami, but now it had changed...

"It's somewhere else…" _Why did it move?_ "Are you ready to leave?" Kiyoko nodded, tracing over the sword's swirl.

"Bye, Kazegami." They left the cave, Kiyoko dragging Kusanagi behind her. Kazegami watched them leave, the image of Kiyoko burned into his mind alongside the memory of a time before himself.

"Why is she so similar…?"

* * *

Extra Scene-

"All I wanted to do was just dry some berries for the puppies, see if they'd like them." The priestess threw her hands up in the air. "So I put them out on the shrine's deck..." Kazegami nodded absently. What was it about that girl that had seemed so familiar…? Was it the eyes, the hair, was it something about how she had acted…

"And that night, we saw those serpent things in the sky. Thought they were clouds or smoke…" Definitely the hair. The memory had come to the forefront of his mind now… Everything was dark, nothing but demons all around. Dashing through them, as fast as the wind… He'd been trying to save someone. Someone who looked like her, except he was older, already a warrior. Fighting his way through the demons, and then they would fight together…

"…And when I go to check on the berries in the morning, all I find is this!" She gestured wildly to the purple, berry-like crystal sitting at her feet. Kazegami looked down at it blankly. He couldn't remember anything about who the person was, why he was saving them, or any context for what happened afterwards. Only that moment.

He just wished he'd asked that girl about it.


	17. Flicker

**Summary: The third adventure. Amaterasu's last child fights to save her family, as a new evil threatens the land… This is a time when secrets come to light.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Okami, it belongs to Capcom and Clover. Okamiden also belongs to Capcom.**

**Last chapter, Amaterasu and her new companion traveled to Kusa Village and met Kazegami. Kiyoko got a sword, which she will now struggle to use because she is probably playing with a Wii Remote. Also, this chapter has far too many line breaks...**

* * *

"Kiyoko, please be careful…" Kiyoko swung her arm towards the dummy in front of her. Kusanagi, floating beside her, sliced along the movement. Amaterasu flinched, but the sword had only cleaved through thin air. To Kiyoko's immense annoyance, the dummy still stood completely unscathed.

"Not sure if this bonding thing it did was supposed to help or not…" Kiyoko muttered, gloomily poking at the dummy and turning away. Then she let out a yell and swung at it again, Kusanagi clipping the head this time. She sighed and stabbed the sword into the ground, letting out another cry of frustration when it managed to swerve away and catch her off balance. Kiyoko gave up and flopped down on the grass, Kusanagi lowering to rest beside her. "Yeah, it's nice that I can actually swing it now… But I can't hit anything!" She threw her hands up in the air, then flinched as the sword swung upright from its position in the grass. Amaterasu knelt down beside her—careful to avoid the blade—and offered a hand.

"It's okay. I'm sure you'll get better…" Kiyoko made a small smile, and let Amaterasu help her up. "I think it's only a little further downhill..." She gave the dummy one last vengeful glance, then followed down the hill.

The sound of pounding cymbals and whistling woodwinds grew louder as they headed towards their destination. There was a crowd gathered around the source of the noise. Amaterasu stood on her toes and glimpsed a trio of large white monkeys, swirled with red markings, each playing an instrument. Kiyoko edged around a few people, trying to peek through. She looked back to see Amaterasu waving to someone in the crowd, trying to catch their attention. Kiyoko followed her gaze to find a person, wearing some sort of headdress, with a sword sheathed at his side. He started when he saw them, and Amaterasu continued to wave, grinning, as he made his way over to them. With one last crash of cymbals, the music ended, the last crash still echoing as the audience began to applaud. The monkeys bowed, and finally it was quiet enough for them to speak again.

"Ushiwaka, I-I didn't think I would see you here." Kiyoko looked closer at him. Pink clothes, tall shoes, a weird hat… everything about him was different from everyone else she had ever seen. How did Amaterasu know him? "I didn't mean to leave so soon…" Now Ushiwaka was looking back at her, also perplexed.

"Wonderful to see you again, Cherie…" He said softly. "Who is this?" Amaterasu gave a small smile and looked down at the grass.

"This is Kiyoko. I… created her." _Created?_ What did that even mean…? One of the monkeys spotted Amaterasu and whispered to the others. Kiyoko's wonderings were cut short. The trio waved to the crowd and walked over to greet Amaterasu.

"Welcome to Shinshu Field!" The monkeys chorused.

"I'm Hasugami." Hasugami twirled around a wooden flute with a flower blooming on top of it.

"I'm Sakigami."

"I'm Tsutagami. We're the local musicians around here," Tsutagami rested his cymbals on the ground and looked over at Amaterasu. "But you might know us better as the three brush gods of Greensprout." Amaterasu looked around the field, at the crowd. The pull was so close again, but where was it coming from…?

"How about we show you around Shinshu?" Sakigami spoke up eagerly. "Since there are three of you, that works out nicely…"

"Um… Okay." Amaterasu said. Kiyoko shrugged. Sakigami clapped his hands.

"Let's go!"

* * *

"So, have you ever used a brush before?" Sakigami asked.

"No…" Waka stared at the brush in his hand, awkwardly positioning it in his hand. Even with handwriting lessons from Sugawara, his writing was nowhere close to artistic. "Will that be a problem?"

"No, it's fine." The monkey reached over and repositioned his fingers. "We'll just have to start with the basics. After that, learning Bloom won't be too difficult…"

* * *

Amaterasu flattened her wolf ears against her head and winced.

"Can you maybe… play that quieter?" Tsutagami crashed the cymbals together again, the noise resounding loudly throughout the field.

"There's no quiet with these! You have to do it with all your heart or not at all!" He stopped for a moment, and Amaterasu opened her eyes. Tsutagami was holding out the cymbals. "Want to try it?" Cautiously, she reached out for them, then dropped one almost immediately from the weight. She hauled it upright again, resting them against the ground like she had seen the monkey do. Tsutagami smiled and helped her lift the cymbals, bringing them together slowly.

* * *

"Before control, you must gain concentration." Hasugami intoned. "Focus on a single thought, and let calmness suffuse you…" Kiyoko glared over at the dummy's loose head, swinging back and forth tauntingly from the other side of the pond. "Concentration," the monkey repeated.

"Sorry…" She quickly reassumed a neutral standing pose, eyes closed.

"Would it improve your focus to learn instead by the Lake Harami?" Kiyoko squeezed her eyes shut.

"I'm fine."

"If you can master this, it may help you focus your sword." She nodded. Hasugami began to play a low, continuous note, and she tried to fill her mind with only the hum of the sound.

* * *

"How was it?" Kiyoko walked around the clearing, completely ignoring the dummy as she slowly rotated Kusanagi around her arms.

"It was… interesting." Amaterasu's wolf ears were constantly twitching as though they were in shock, but she had a wide grin across her face. Then she flopped out on the grass and fell asleep. Kiyoko looked around at the darkening field. Where had that Ushiwaka went? She began to turn around.

"So, how did you know…" There was a boom from farther up the field, and Kiyoko cried out at the sight. "Whoa!" There were more booms as colorful bursts of light filled up the evening sky, shooting up from a place somewhere on the higher part of the field. "What is that?" She looked over, but Amaterasu was unresponsive. Kiyoko groaned. She wouldn't wake up until sunrise tomorrow…

"I'll be back, don't worry," Kiyoko told her. Then she ran up the path as fast as she could.

Up there, a white boar was lighting strange objects with a torch, causing them to shoot into the air, where they exploded in starbursts of light. The boar noticed her and stopped lighting them.

"Who're you?"

"Kiyoko." The boar grunted and lit another of the objects. In the flash, Kiyoko could see red markings across its skin.

"Bakugami."

"Are you a brush god?" Bakugami stopped and tossed the torch aside, putting out the sparks with a hoof.

"What, you wanting to learn 'bout my bombs?" Bakugami snorted. "The brushstroke's like this." He scraped a picture in the dirt. Kiyoko squinted at it for a moment. A piglet, the same color and markings as the brush god, darted out and snatched the torch away. Bakugami glared back at the bunch of piglets, now tossing the torch around. "Don't play with that! If you set something on fire…" They squealed, completely ignoring him.

"Thank you." Bakugami huffed and looked back at Kiyoko.

"You ever been around here before?" She shook her head. "I recognize that hair of yours from somewhere. Don't know where, I haven't met anyone like that."

"Wait, how do you recognize something you've never seen before?" Bakugami looked up at the stars.

"It's like a bad dream... Or some sort of memory, who knows. Always bleeding out on the floor of some cave, then being carried away." Bakugami looked down, his voice becoming softer. "Always thinking, 'I'm scared. I don't want to die.'" The boar grunted again, resuming a stoic expression. "…And then something about a waka?" Bakugami shrugged. "Whatever that is. 's probably just nothing."

"Um…" Kiyoko looked out at the field below. A "waka"…? That was another question to ask about that guy…

"You need to be getting back to your parents, don't you?" Bakugami seemed sad. "Well, go on." She paused for a moment, then headed back down the hill, head jumbled. That person-Ushiwaka, and her mother knew him from somewhere. Brush gods that recognized her… Something was going on, but she couldn't quite put the pieces together.

* * *

The field was quiet, hardly a sound after the fireworks had stopped. Waka stood before the doorway leading to Kamui, looking out at the place where Amaterasu and Kiyoko would be. It was luck, perhaps, that had let them meet each other.

Kiyoko was a puzzle, though. Amaterasu said she had created her… And there was an uncanny resemblance that made Waka wonder if she was the one Sugawara was looking for. He hoped not. Even destiny would not be cruel enough to force one so young away from all that they had ever known… Would it?

And Amaterasu herself… Waka looked back up at the gate. He wanted to stay with her, but… She remembered almost nothing. He didn't want to get too close, too soon after he had almost lost her—lost Shin.

The quiet, keening notes of a flute seemed to ring through the field, in memory of a wolf's howling from long ago. Waka reached for his flute, the melody already returning to him. Slowly, he played, letting the sound echo through the field. When he stopped, there was silence.

He looked back at the field again, then back at the door, directing a small jolt from his flute to the stone. With a rumbling scrape, the door slid open. Waka went on into the darkness of the tunnel, leaving Amaterasu behind.

_I'll come back for you. I promise._

* * *

Extra Scene-

Hasugami lowered his flute with trembling hands, the last notes of the melody echoing again and again in his mind. Interlocking with the song that filled his dreams from a place before memories. All these lonely nights, when his brothers slept and the memory became clearer, no one had ever answered.

He wanted to go, leave the young sapling that he cared for in the field and run off to find the source of this melody. Someone important to him…

Hasugami sighed, gently running a finger along the sapling's bark. This place was his home, his young plants, his brothers. He couldn't leave them, not to chase after ghosts.


	18. Flare

**Summary: ****The city of the Moon is attacked, setting off a chain of events that reach far beyond its source. One of the survivors journeys across Nippon, trying to stop what his people have released.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Okami, it belongs to Capcom and Clover. Okamiden also belongs to Capcom.**

**Last chapter, our traveling duo met up with Waka, and the Hanagami. Also, Bakugami may have been there at some point. This chapter was actually originally very long, so I split it up. As a result, it might be a bit boring, so… enjoy?**

* * *

Kiyoko opened her eyes, blinking as they adjusted to the darkness. She sat up and stifled a yawn. Kusanagi sleepily hovered in the grass, hilt drifting towards her.

_Where did that Ushiwaka guy go…?_ Looking around the dark field, she couldn't see a hint of pink anywhere. She frowned. The one person who seemed significant, different, gone before she could even speak to him… Bakugami had mentioned something about a waka—maybe that was related to him, too. Kiyoko wondered if she would ever see him again. _Maybe then I can figure out how he knew Mom…_ Well, maybe if she was lucky, they'd run into each other again. Maybe. She glanced around the field—a meaningless gesture, Amaterasu was still asleep—and then let her uncomfortable human body slip away. Kusanagi hovered over the fox's back.

She ran as fast as she could, racing across the footpath and back, springing off of the cliffsides. She stopped, panting, in front of the dummy, grinning as much as a fox could. For a moment she paused, taking heavy breaths, then the fox crouched into a battle stance, staring down the dummy. She lunged, and Kusanagi slashed an arc in front of her. The dummy was jostled but did not fall. She struck again, but Kusanagi's strike swung straight into her path. The fox tumbled away from the wild slash, quickly jumping back to her feet.

'Not again…' Hadn't hit her. But just barely. 'Mom won't want to find me injured…' She sighed and headed back to where Amaterasu was sleeping.

No sooner had she gotten there when a glow began to suffuse the horizon, golden light bleeding into the blackness. The sun was rising. Kiyoko hurriedly shifted back into her human form. Amaterasu opened her eyes, slowly getting to her feet. She walked over to a small cliff, looking up at the stone structure, cobbled stone bathed in light, that towered atop it.

"Whatever it is, it's up there…" Amaterasu murmured. "Are you ready, Kiyoko?" Kiyoko hardly responded, just followed her as she found a handhold and pulled herself up. Her fingers slipped against the smooth sand-colored stone, searching for outcroppings to grip. Amaterasu was scaling the cliff fast, as though propelled by some unknown force.

Kiyoko finally hauled herself up into a sitting position at the edge of the cliff, looking out at Shinshu Field. She could see one of the monkeys, lying awake near a small sapling—was that Hasugami? It looked like a flute…—rise and head towards the two sleeping others. She waved to them, hoping that at least Hasugami would notice.

Kiyoko kept looking out as she stood up and stepped away from the edge, trying to take in as much of the field as she could. _Sometimes I wish I could have somewhere of my own to stay…_ Then she turned to Amaterasu, who was staring into the doorway at the base of the stone structure… Had that door been there before? All she could see was barely lit stone, stretching onward.

"Let's go." Amaterasu had hardly said the words before she was stepping through the doorway. Kiyoko paused, looking out at the field again, then followed her mother into the dark tunnel.

* * *

_Drip. Drip._ Water coursed from cracks in the ceiling to settle in pools across their path. The tight walls of the tunnel seemed to close in on them, every loose ceiling stone ready to dislodge into a flood. Kiyoko kept her mind busy miming sword strikes with Kusanagi in front of her.

"Aah!" Amaterasu stumbled sideways, and Kiyoko snapped the sword away to her hand. As soon as it touched her it vanished, dissolving under her skin. Kiyoko stared at her hand, open-mouthed, shaking it as though that might release Kusanagi from wherever it had gone. She gave up and sighed.

_Now I've lost that, too… The best thing I've ever had as my own..._ Amaterasu glanced at the slippery stone, carefully stepping onward. Kiyoko followed glumly, dragging her feet along the seemingly endless stones. All she could picture was the sword, slashing beside her in a battle that would remain imaginary. _I wish I could've had a sword like that forever…_

"Look!" Amaterasu's pace quickened, and Kiyoko looked up. Daylight spilling onto the floor. The end of the tunnel. She hurried to keep up, rushing towards the light as if it would flicker out of reach at any moment. They stopped at the doorway for a moment, staring out at the new world that lay outside.

The village didn't look like any other one Kiyoko had seen. Of course, each village they passed through had been unique, but none of them quite so… There were only foot-worn paths tracing through the buildings. Every face except for theirs was hidden beneath a colorful mask. The masks turned towards them, even their false eyes scrutinizing these newcomers. Kiyoko squirmed under the gaze. It seemed like everywhere she went, she was the outsider, the stranger. She reached for Amaterasu, except she was already gone.

"Mom…?" Kiyoko looked around, but was only answered with hordes of masks, facing towards her. She began to edge away, towards the nearest path. Her face probably looked terrified. Kiyoko covered it with her hands, not wanting anyone else to see.

_I wish I had a mask to hide behind…_

* * *

Extra Scene-

Ishaku dipped his brush into the ink again, writing furiously. He stood back for a moment, thinking of the next sentence.

"Shiranui turned out to be the goddess Amaterasu, who is now reborn… No, that doesn't sound right." He set the brush down, hopping back and forth. "As I found out later from Ushiwaka, Shiranui was actually… No, he probably doesn't want to be mentioned in this. Maybe… The wolf Shiranui was actually the sun goddess Amaterasu…" He wrote that down in slow, deliberate strokes, giving himself time. "How do I mention that she's been reborn?" Perhaps he could give the incarnations titles of some sort...

"Ishaku, how long are you gonna be writing in there? I wanna paint something." Ishaku glared at his daughter's face peeking through the doorway, then his eyes softened.

"Okay, we can paint something together. Do you want to paint a wolf today?" She nodded, then skipped into the room, searching the desk for her own paintbrush. Ishaku smiled, handing it to her, setting the scroll aside to dry. Then he looked back at it briefly. A wolf. That was it.

He scribbled down "first Ōkami" next to a rough painting of Shiranui, then settled down to paint with his daughter.


	19. Ashes

**Summary: ****The city of the Moon is attacked, setting off a chain of events that reach far beyond its source. One of the survivors journeys across Nippon, trying to stop what his people have released.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Okami, it belongs to Capcom and Clover. Okamiden also belongs to Capcom.**

**Last chapter, Kiyoko was overly introspective, and maybe a bit dramatic. But she's kind of a teenager at this point, anyway… Oh, and they went to Kamui. That's probably important. Maybe.**

**WARNING: This chapter is probably one of the main reasons this story is rated T. For violence and stuff.**

* * *

The path ended in a meadow of grass, but the lake nearby was completely frozen over. Kiyoko stopped, pushing away her human form as fast as she could. The fox whimpered and lay down, hardly a golden streak in the piles of cold chilling her paws. It felt like a bit of the ice had trickled into her heart.

_Don't worry, Mom will find you…_ She growled at her thoughts, swiping at the air. _Why do I have to be so weak!_ The dirt was a poor substitute for that dummy… Even though they had spent only a day in the field, Kiyoko wished they could go back. She scraped at the ground furiously in repeated strikes. _Don't get so attached, that isn't going to happen…_

A gust of cold wind rippled the fur across her back. She heard grass swish behind her and tensed, her ears flicking back.

"Who are you?" A voice rumbled. She jumped, turning around to look at the source. A giant white ox towered over her, red-streaked pelt frosted with chunks of ice. Its hooves were all her eyes could keep focusing on, so large that one step could probably crush her...

'I-I'm called Kiyoko…' The fox stammered, beginning to shiver. The ox regarded her impassively, hardly moving. She felt so small… So weak... The fox shifted into a crouch, ready to jump away. It nodded to her, a beard of icicles clinking together.

"Welcome to Kamui, young fox." The ox's voice remained cold, but she thought she saw its eyes twinkle with warmth. "I am Itegami, guardian of the Oina and brush god of Blizzard." She looked around for Amaterasu. Another brush god… Wherever they were, the thing she always talked about seemed to be somewhere around… Itegami seemed to glance over at her tail. "Have you come to learn the art of Blizzard?" The fox paused, ink-tipped tail swishing, then shrugged.

'I might as well.' The ox began to scrape a pattern in the ground, and Kiyoko was immediately reminded of Bakugami.

"This is the symbol for Icestorm. If it was winter, one can just draw from the ice, but this brushstroke will create in its absence." She looked out at the ice covered lake.

'Why can't we just use that ice?' Itegami shook his head quickly.

"No. That ice is the only barrier between the demons within and my people. I cannot allow anyone to tamper with it." She nodded, noticing something grey sticking out from the flat lake surface, frosted over with ice. Was that where the demons were…? But she'd only heard rumors of them, that they had retreated after Orochi's defeat… Kiyoko looked back at the symbol, then turned to an empty space of grass and drew it with her tail. A small cluster of ice burst into existence, but rapidly began to melt into the dirt.

She looked back up to Itegami, but the ox had gone as swiftly as the winter wind he left in his wake.

_People keep leaving me…_ She sighed, readying to draw the brushstroke again. _I'll just keep practicing this until Mom comes._

* * *

Amaterasu couldn't pinpoint where the pull was leading. She'd walked down one path, but now it seemed like it was somewhere else… She continued down the path, hearing strange noises at the end.

Beside a frozen lake, Kiyoko was using her brush, and bursts of ice appeared along the ground, making the noises she had heard. The fox looked up at her, ice crystals melting away.

"There you are, Kiyoko…" The fox chattered and ran up to her.

'Can you please try to take me with you when you're looking?' Amaterasu blinked.

"Kiyoko, you know I can't understand you like that…"

'Sometimes I wonder if this thing you're chasing after doesn't even exist!' The fox huffed.

"I-It does! I'm sure of it!" Kiyoko cringed in shock. Amaterasu clutched her head in her hands. "I don't know! Why can I hear you now?" A wolf tail writhed behind her. She doubled over, the fingers clutching her head shortening into claws. "Why does my head hurt so much…?"

'M-mom…?' Kiyoko took a step towards her, fighting the urge to run. This was her mother, not a dog, she shouldn't be afraid…

The red-stained wolf let out a snarl and lashed at her. Kiyoko yelped and jumped away, half of her vision swimming red. She pressed a paw over her stinging eye, blinking away tears. It lunged for her throat, claws slashing again, slicing streaks of pain through her ribs. Her legs, now weak, struggled to stand, to run, but it charged again, jaws tearing at her shoulder. The fox yowled, struggling, as teeth pierced her skin. The wolf flung her aside and she skidded against the grass, sliding onto the frozen lake. The dirt stung in her cuts, the chill of the smooth ice hardly relieving. It stalked towards her, and she tried to stand, but the strength had bled out from her legs.

_Thump-thump._ Kiyoko could feel her heartbeat in her ears.

_Thump-thump._ Not hers. Louder. Something else. The wolf that had been her mother loped off, a blurry figure of red and white growing farther away.

_Thump-thump._ Her legs forced her up, her head hardly able to lift. She stared down at the russet fur, hardly recognizing it as her own. She began to walk, a trail of reddened smudges dotted along her path. Her tail dragged along the ice limply. She didn't know where she was going. Her heart kept thumping in her ears, a slow beat counting down.

In the middle of the frozen lake, the fox looked up at the structure encased in ice, a blurry twisting of grey and white into the saccharine blue sky.

_Thump-thump. _There was someone in there. Pounding to be released.

She ran as fast as her aching paws could bear, slamming all of her weight against the ice. Something cracked, and she gritted her teeth against the sharp pain. Her bloodied shoulder left a red smear across the unbroken surface. She was growing tired. Couldn't sleep. Or she'd never wake up. The fox raised a weary paw, clawing for a chink.

_Thump-thump._ She could hardly keep her eyes open. Desperately, she hurled herself at the ice again, laying limp against it.

_Crack. _The fox forced her eyes open. A crack spiderwebbed out from a spot near her ribs. Then the ice fell apart around her, revealing a rectangle of glimmering grey stone. It creaked open. She hauled herself up, stumbling inside.

Her legs gave, and she collapsed. Her limbs refused to move any further. She heard a hissing, far more tangible than wind, and then everything was enveloped in darkness. She felt as though she was wrapped in something soft, floating away from the cold, cold ground.

_Am I dead…?_

**Not quite yet,** a voice spoke, as dark as the heartbeat that now thrummed around her. **I can save you. I can grant you all that you wish for.**

_I wish I had a sword again…_

_A place of my own to stay…_

_A mask to hide behind…_

_People who won't leave me behind…_

_I wish I could be strong._

_I wish I could be…_

**Then accept me, and wish darkness upon this world.** The fox remembered Amaterasu. Mother. Carefree. Smiling.

Attacking her. Walking away.

_I wish darkness upon this world._ Strength coursed through her, burning hot as rage. Her body shifted, growing, changing.

A mask covered his scarred face. He felt more tails emerge beside the existing one, each one imbued with the power of a brush. The darkness cleared, and he saw a new sword float beside him, etched in detailed, angular patterns. The other voice, which had always been there, his but not quite, ceased its resistance like a snuffed-out flame. He was strong now. Stronger than that so-called goddess of the sun. He was the true god.

**Yes,** the voice returned, as dark as the one around them, **we are a god. I am you, and I will give you strength. **Above him, a glyph glowed blue, bathing the metal hall in dull light. From the darkness, the voice whispered to him.

**Welcome, Ninetails.**


	20. Waning Crescent

**Summary: The city of the Moon is attacked, setting off a chain of events that reach far beyond its source. One of the survivors journeys across Nippon, trying to stop what his people have released.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Okami, it belongs to Capcom and Clover. Okamiden also belongs to Capcom.**

**Last chapter, we have an attempted origin story for Ninetails. So of course, the next chapter must be completely unrelated.**

* * *

The moon was full, its bright reflection rippling on the tranquil water. Hardly a breath of wind disturbed the leaves of the trees, their trunks sticking up into the sky as straight and solid as bars. Agata Forest was still.

The slight scuffles of Waka's shoes along the footpath mingled with the quiet tides of the water, ebbing and flowing. It felt like any louder sound would shatter the peacefulness.

Had to be quiet. Hunting demons. Waka pressed his hands over his eyes, trying to clear away the encroaching images of many nights' demons. Crow tengu, imps, other beasts, it didn't matter. Each one growled, the sounds pounding against the silence. Threatening to crack.

_Not again…_ He forced his hands down. Eyes open. The forest is right here. No demons. The darkness of the night was flowing, merging into a different one.

A demon screeched. He began to reach for his sword. Blood pounded fast in his ears.

The demons were hunting them. The open field was filled with screeching silhouettes, loping alongside, trying to corner him. Had to get to the others. Someone was in danger. A human scream shattered the silence, the shards melting into rivers of red.

The Tao Trooper struggled to crawl away, his body covered in gashes. Stained red. The black imp snarled, blood-specked fangs. Waka struggled, but his body wouldn't move. Helpless. Skulls' jaws clacking in laughter as they floated around him. The imp turned back towards its prey, jagged claws plunging down in spurts of red.

So much red. The screams echoed like the hallways of the Ark. He couldn't look away. His hand grasped frantically for a sword that wasn't there. The moon danced crazily in his vision.

"…you…?" Garbled speech registered faintly. The red began to clear in blotches, the trees showing through. A white rabbit blurred into view. Stained with red. Waka closed his eyes as the blood began to bubble up again. He had to stay calm. Regain control. Or this would just keep happening...

Demons' growls returned, distant. He held his breath, trying to slow his pounding heart. There were no demons here. He knew it was useless, his heartbeat wouldn't slow no matter how long he stopped breathing.

_Stay calm. No demons here._ Nothing but the wind in the trees and the water against the shore.

"O sacred Moon…" Waka opened his eyes. The forest stared quietly back. A white rabbit knelt—that was the only way to describe its position—by the water, head bowed to the moon's reflection. The red markings swirled across its fur were simply that. Not blood. It reached out a paw towards the rippling image, yet not daring to touch it. Slowly, unsteadily, he walked towards it. "…Oh!" The rabbit's ears pricked, and she turned to face him. "Are you all right?" Then her eyes widened. "...Was that a vision?"

"I would hope not." Waka mustered a small grin. "How would you even know about visions?"

"Oh, I forgot to introduce myself!" The rabbit bowed quickly. "I am Yumigami, brush god of the crescent Moon." He frowned. Another brush god…? How many of them were there, anyway? "That position has inherited me some knowledge of your people." And each of them seemed to have some memory… If Amaterasu was Shin, who were the others?

_Is she truly Shin? _The sound of a flute echoing through Shinshu Field nagged at him. Hasugami was the only other one he'd seen around with a flute… "What do you remember about us?" He asked, hardly looking at Yumigami. _It could be coincidence, though… Maybe she did have a flute, maybe the melody was part of a common song… Or maybe I just imagined it._ That had to be it. Just like how he'd imagined the memories of the demons so vividly.

"A people that live on the Moon, within a city of peace and prosperity. You have visions of the future, and live much longer than these mortals upon the earth. You have created beings, complex tools, that can accomplish almost any task..." Yumigami trailed off, ears beginning to droop, and her eyes drifted back to the moon's shimmering reflection. "I cannot recall much more, for I am merely a crescent, an incomplete sliver of the Moon's full splendor…" For a moment, a shape seemed to flicker across it.

_Just like Amaterasu, she only remembers a little…_ Waka froze. _But while she is the sun, Yumigami is the moon…!_ "Are you… Tsukuyomi?" Yumigami tilted her head, staring off into the rippling water.

"I'm not sure. I… I feel as though I've heard that name before." Yumigami stepped forward, eyes glittering in rapt attention. "Please, tell me about her."

"Um…" Waka froze, struggling to recall under the rabbit's attentive gaze. "Sh-she was our leader, but she kept herself mysterious to us. I was lucky enough to see her once..." He trailed off, remembering.

_Tengu lay weak and ragged-feathered across infirmary beds. Glassy-eyed. The air was thick with the aura of plague._

"And…?"

_Yoshitsune's beak parted a crack, letting out a rasping wheeze. His mentor looked on the brink of death… He was hardly coherent, speaking not of swords but instead of demons, oaths, and "mother"..._

"Hair black as a starless sky… or a crow tengu's feathers. That's what everyone used to say."

_A tengu's piercing screech filled the infirmary. Doctors crowded around, trying to hold it down. Lashing claws slashed through a doctor's sleeve, and she stumbled away, clutching her arm tightly. Seconds after the tengu went limp, sedated._

Yumigami stepped closer. Something flickered again over the moon's reflection.

_The doors opened, and Tsukuyomi walked among them. The crowd parted respectfully as she came to the sedated tengu, speaking softly with the doctors._

"She had the most potent foresight of all of us. She was the one who created us…"

_Her eyes locked on him, and he felt suddenly nervous. Recognized from one of her visions. Normally a great honor, but with all that was happening now…_

"_I must speak with Sugawara."_

Not long after, Sugawara had been appointed his mentor. And it was hardly any time after that when...

"She fell protecting us, fighting off the great demon Orochi…" Waka fought the memories away from his mind. Those times were long gone. The Moon had fallen. "And now, there are only a few of her people left…" Yumigami was trembling, paws fumbling as though trying to press her head downward. Waka fell silent, and gave in to remembering. Orochi, tearing down the buildings of their city, people running but not knowing where to run. On the Ark, as they travelled to someplace that they knew nothing of, bowing heads in memory of all those who had been lost. It didn't seem as painful now to remember.

"What is this feeling…?" Yumigami whispered, her nose twitching in rapid breaths. "Some paining chill inside me…" He thought he saw the glimmer of tears.

A shadow blocked out the moon's reflection. A person's shadow.

_How could anyone…?_ Waka looked up. _What?!_ A child's body hung in the air above the water, silhouetted against the full moon. Their limbs dangled, almost lifelessly, like those of a doll. He stepped out onto the water, glancing between Yumigami and the child, then started. The child's face was completely featureless. _What is this? A demon, or…?_ Yumigami's eyes misted over.

"So few of your people left…"


	21. Earthshine

**Summary: ****The city of the Moon is attacked, setting off a chain of events that reach far beyond its source. One of the survivors journeys across Nippon, trying to stop what his people have released.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Okami, it belongs to Capcom and Clover. Okamiden also belongs to Capcom.**

**Last chapter, Waka met Yumigami in Agata Forest, and some child randomly appeared floating above the water. Now, we pick up pretty much where we left off…**

* * *

As Waka watched, the child's figure began to change. Pink clothes shimmered into existence as the features began to form. Short blond hair, then a small hawk-like stone strapped to their forehead… just like his headdress. Moonlight cast eerily familiar features in stark white. Then, without warning, whatever force had held the child up released its grip and they dropped like a stone towards the water. Waka stepped and caught them, ready to bend over and help them to their feet on the shore. But the child remained still, eyes closed, almost lifeless. Yumigami blinked, as though seeing them for the first time.

"Was that… Did I do that?" He shrugged, trying not to look shaken.

"Well, there's no one else around, and I certainly didn't do that." _Was that how Kiyoko was created?_ The child's face was almost like looking into a mirror, in an unsettling similarity. Had Yumigami done that on purpose? _Wait… Sugawara said…_ This was the child. He had to bring them to Ryoshima. "Um, Yumigami… This child..." Yumigami's ears began to droop again.

"Is there something wrong with it? Is it ill?" Waka shook his head and gave what he hoped was a reassuring smile.

"Someone else had a vision about this child. They would be brought somewhere..." Yumigami bowed, an awed sparkle returning to her eyes.

"Part of a vision…! If this creation is truly mine to offer, then I will gladly do so."

"Um... Thank you." Waka gave a hesitant half-bow, which Yumigami happily returned. As he walked down the pathway leading towards Taka Pass, he saw her turn and look up at the faraway Moon. She looked down at its reflection in the water, reaching out a paw as if to touch it. Then she paused and let out a chitter.

"There's already a rabbit on the Moon..."

* * *

The sun had hardly risen by the time that Waka arrived at the coast. Sugawara was standing by the water, a stumpy object beside him hardly more detailed than an outline.

"I hope this is a major prophecy, Sugawara. I had to carry them all the way from Agata Forest." Sugawara smiled.

"Well, you're sounding more like your old self. Have things finally settled in?" Waka shrugged.

"Maybe. After all, enjoying life makes life more enjoyable." Sugawara raised an eyebrow.

"And making even less sense than usual. To answer your question… Yes, this child will be part of a major prophecy, though it may still be longer before it takes its course." Sugawara gently took the child and placed them in the cockpit of what seemed to be a Moon Tribe escape pod.

"Did you know how they would come to be?" He shook his head. "Something about these brush gods that I can't figure out… There was one, named Yumigami, in Agata Forest. If Amaterasu is Shin, then I think she might be Tsukuyomi…" Sugawara frowned at the mention of Tsukuyomi, but motioned for Waka to go on. "Both she and Amaterasu have somehow created children… When I saw it, it seemed like they appeared out of thin air. I don't know how that's even possible…"

"Perhaps you will find the answer to that someday. As for the fate of this child…" Sugawara reached over, strapping the child in, and Waka saw him slip something into the rocket. "The ruins have already been set up to guide their course. Somehow, this child has a great power…" He paused, as though trying to recall something. "Can you still remember that vision, about the shrine?"

"Sort of."

"Did you foresee anyone else being there?" Waka closed his eyes briefly, trying to recall that long-ago vision.

"There were others there, I think… I can't see them clearly." Sugawara pressed a button, and the rocket door slowly slid closed. "I can still remember the surroundings, I think."

"Without the Ark's records available, you need to remember that until the time comes—Back away. It's going to launch into orbit." Waka followed Sugawara, away from the rocket as it began to hiss out jets of steam. They watched as it slowly took off, accelerating in a cloud-like trail into the now blue sky.

"I'm not sure what to do now." Waka looked around at the scenery. It was beautiful, yet he didn't want to stay. "Maybe I'll look for the shrine…? It was nice meeting you again." Sugawara waved to Waka as he walked to the gate.

_This might be the last time we ever meet._ He smiled sadly. "Farewell, Ushiwaka..."

* * *

Extra Scene-

The wolf ran, legs propelled by some feral urge, through the tunnel—had to get out, had to escape. Even a hunter knew when to run. Alone. No pack. A dangerous heartbeat chasing, thump-thumping in its ears. The wolf burst from the tunnel, leaping down from the tall ledge and continuing its run with hardly a thought for pain.

The sky was getting darker. Amaterasu stopped, some reminder tickling at the back of her mind. Why wasn't she sleeping? Or even tired? The field was silent, every color a few shades darker than she'd known it.

She looked to the sky, and the horizon was lit in an explosion of fire. The sun had turned from its normal whiteness to a reddened orange, and tendrils of that color reached, outstretched, for the clouds above. The sun was sinking. The sun was dying. Amaterasu whimpered, unable to take her eyes away from the horizon. And what would be left?

The last streak of sunlight left the sky. She turned circles, pacing, waiting. A pinprick of light glimmered in the sky. She looked up. So many tiny lights… And if they were all put together, it might be enough to make another sun. But she couldn't reach that far…

Amaterasu felt her heart begin to tug, and set off to explore this dark new world.


	22. Apogee

**Summary: ****The city of the Moon is attacked, setting off a chain of events that reach far beyond its source. One of the survivors journeys across Nippon, trying to stop what his people have released.**

**Disclaimer: ****I do not own Okami, it belongs to Capcom and Clover. Okamiden also belongs to Capcom.**

**To Okamivorewriter: Welll… Not wanting to spoil anything, but that line about Sugawara and Waka never meeting again was intended to be more related to Sugawara… (Because Okamiden canon and such.)**

**Last chapter, Waka met up with Sugawara and delivered a mini-clone of himself, in what will most likely conclude Sugawara's role in the story. Also, Amaterasu saw the sunset for the first time and thought the world was ending. Go figure.**

* * *

Waka stayed close to Sei'An City, even though he dared not enter it. Instead he walked along the waters and sands of Ryoshima Coast, watching from a distance as people went on with their petty lives. He had no obligation to them or the city, not anymore. The demons were gone. They were safe. And he was free. Waka kept pacing idly along the water, the only trace of him a tiny trail of ripples soon obliterated by the surge of the waves.

All the free time in the world, and he had no idea what to do with it. He fiddled with his flute, but did not move to play—the sounds would draw too much attention.

Had to be quiet. Waka tensed, focusing on the blue of the horizon where it melded into the sea. Not red. He deliberately put his flute away, keeping himself from reaching for his only weapon. Turquoise, green-brown specks of islands dotting the ocean. Darkening into black sky, the waves silenced by demon screeches. He felt his hands clench, nails digging into his palms.

No. He wasn't succumbing to this again. Eyes open. No red. No darkness. There were no more demons. A yowl came from above. Waka paused, trying to force away a fear that must have still remained. No point in remembering…

Everything looked perfectly blue. The yowls began to fade, quieting into hoarse meows. Waka stifled a laugh. Those weren't the growls of an imagined demon, just a cat. He looked up at the source of the sound, an island. From the green forested ground, a tower stretched upwards into the clouds.

_I wonder how it got up there. _But before he could think further on it, a loud caw came from above. A shadow raced across the rippling water, too large for any normal bird. Its owner swooped overhead, a flurry of fiery orange-reds that threatened to turn its caw into demon screeches. Waka flinched, looking away from the bird as it soared past. _Why do all of the brush gods have to have those red streaks…_ It landed on the shore, a cloud of sand billowing out around it. Small flames flickered from the ornate pipe clenched in its beak. It stared straight at him, orange-streaked feathers rippling in the wind like fire. Waiting.

Slowly, Waka made his way to the shore. He stopped on the shallow bank, the waves lapping at his shoes. The bird inclined its head slightly, regarding him.

"Tao Master." His voice was stern, not at all like the previous screeching caw he had made, and completely unaffected by the pipe in his mouth. "You must return to the city." Waka didn't look over, and the words came out before he could censor them.

"And why should I listen to you?" The bird's feathers began to rise. He felt a flicker of satisfaction, and so kept going. "A giant talking bird I have never seen before… Certainly lends authority to your orders, doesn't it?"

"You dare…" The bird stopped, leaning back a bit and taking a visibly deep breath. "I am no mere bird. I am the brush god of Inferno." Well, he certainly had the temper for it. Waka kept a smile on his face. Somehow, making this brush god fume amused him.

"Yes, and?" His feathers puffed up, as though offended.

"I am Moegami, the protector of Sei'An City." Moegami? That name sounded familiar...

"You don't look very much like a statue." The flames of Moegami's pipe leapt and flickered across narrowed eyes. "Or is the queen so desperate that even fairytales come alive for her?"

"The city needs you. Your forces are leaderless, ready to disband, and the emperor requires your aid." Waka took his flute out and began to fiddle with it again.

"That's funny. The last time I was there, Sei'An was under the rule of a queen." That was how it had been for a long time. What could possibly change that, less than a year after he had left? Or was Moegami not telling the truth about something...?

"Things are changing. Alliances have been made that shift the leadership."

"Hmm…" Waka tapped his flute against his chin, then looked back at the waiting brush god. "I don't believe you." Moegami's pipe flared dangerously. He kept his tone light, watching the bird struggle indignantly for words. _I should do this more often._ "And even if you do speak the truth, I see no reason to return there."

"Stop with this foolishness!" Moegami snapped, feathers and fire flaring out. "You have a duty to this city! Even with Orochi's defeat, demons still infest this land." Red-dipped feathers spun into droplets of blood, dripping across Waka's vision. His fingers went for the button on his flute, but as soon as the red had come it was going again. Moegami was breathing hard, his feathers slowly settling back into order. "You cannot abandon them. Your work is not yet done." Waka put his flute away with deliberate slowness, trying to force his fingers to stop trembling. He had no reason for fear. It had only been a glimpse of red. So weak, to succumb to just that… He forced a carefree grin back to his face.

"Oh, there are still demons about? Why didn't you just say that in the first place?" He still avoided Moegami's gaze, but for a reason more serious than his little game of provocation. Some part of him, that brought on his shaking hands, feared what more missions would bring. But he couldn't abandon the city in his cowardice. He had to return. "Well then. I hope you know your way back to the city." Waka jumped, letting his headdress carry him away, sparkles and all. Moegami's beak dropped open, then he shook free from his stunned stupor and flapped to the air as well.

* * *

Truthfully, Waka had rarely used his headdress to soar this high. He'd been self-conscious that people would see, point and stare at him like he was something alien...

But at this point, he really just didn't care. The ground, the city he approached seemed so small, so insignificant. There was the sound of flapping wings, and Moegami dropped into a glide beside him.

"Follow me. The emperor's palace is this way." The Aristocratic Quarter was spread out below them, each of the tall, decorated buildings still hardly comparing to the expanse of the temple complex. But now, the ornate central building of the quarter stood out the most.

_But now a new line inhabits it…_ Moegami descended, circling slowly downward until the spiral of his path would intersect with the ground before the palace's great doors. Waka just let himself drop, the headdress billowing out to slow his fall. Landing without trouble, he looked up at the entrance as Moegami alighted on the walkway beside him. The brush god stepped forward and tapped his beak on the door, then stepped back again to wait.

The doors creaked open, and Waka followed Moegami inside, already mentally planning the Troopers' debriefing.

"The Tao Master has returned to Sei'An City." The brush god's announcement echoed through the palace halls, and for once, Waka had to agree with him.

* * *

Extra Scene-

Amaterasu kept running. She loved the feeling, the cool night air rushing through her fur, even the burning that ached in her legs the more she ran. Kamiki Village was this place, didn't really matter though. There was no time for sadness, reminiscing, regrets, or even thoughtfulness. The blood thumping fast through her veins silenced the doubts of her mind.

She skidded to a stop, panting. The end of the path. She looked around.

There was a flat piece of stone… like a statue's base? But there was no statue there. Strange? She stepped forward, sniffing the stone. It smelled like rock. And… maybe a bit of something else? It was a bit like that taste when she'd accidentally bitten her tongue, but not quite. It was rockier somehow. Amaterasu snorted at her own thoughts. Of course a rock smelled rocky.

She rested a paw on the stone, and then the very air buzzed alive with voices.

…_isn't the one…_

…_Can't let it ruin the… _Amaterasu tried to back away as a strange tingle swept through her, but her paw seemed fused to the rock. She was only hardly aware as she stepped onto the base, crouching, all four paws planted on the smooth stone. But her paws felt numb… Legs too, now… She couldn't look down, and couldn't muster up a panic enough to move. The tingling kept her pacified as the numbness worked up her torso.

The last of the white fur hardened into stone, the new wolf statue staring out at Kamiki Village.


	23. Solstice

**Summary: ****The city of the Moon is attacked, setting off a chain of events that reach far beyond its source. One of the survivors journeys across Nippon, trying to stop what his people have released.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Okami, it belongs to Capcom and Clover. Okamiden also belongs to Capcom.**

**Last chapter, Waka suddenly got his personality swap into the canon Waka we all know. Also, he returned to Sei'An City and annoyed a bird along the way. In this chapter, we are introduced to a new narrator… which may or may not be a good thing.**

* * *

_This tale had stretched far, far beyond what I ever could imagine when I entered this world. This time, I was not the only part of the events that arose. These others had travelled far, and travel farther still, I know, to rise unlike many before. But now is my time. My next life begins. Other stories become less clear. _

_It all began with the darkness._

* * *

Tsukuyomi struggled against the shadowy wisps that chained her arms, staring back at the dark mass that had once been Orochi. So long ago. She kicked out at the chain and it dissolved as her leg passed through. She fell to the ground—it was no longer blue but grey as stone—quickly leaping back to her feet. With a yell that Tsukuyomi would not have recognized as her own, she charged at the darkness again. It recoiled at her strikes, but every time it returned, swirling around her, always waiting for the moment to strike.

No matter how long the fighting went on it never stopped. They never tired.

Out of the corner of her eye, Tsukuyomi saw someone enter the chamber of the Moon Cave. Beyond the barrier that restrained them. The darkness reformed around her, whipping at her, and she lashed out with all she had, the sight of it dissolving not bringing satisfaction but only fueling the urge to fight. It reared back, reforming again, then she covered her face as best as she could as it enveloped her.

A maelstrom of blackness. Complete silence. Screams echoed in her mind, Tsukuyomi hardly remembered them but sometime she could. Her people. The Moon Tribe.

This beast had killed them all. She screamed and clawed at the darkness, beating it back, always beating it back. She could see that the person had approached the sword, the blue that kept them in this cycle of fury. He had his hands on the hilt.

Tsukuyomi began to feel tired. Calm. She didn't want to fight any more. The darkness stilled, and for a moment she swore she could see it condense into its eight-headed shape.

**At last...**

The man pulled the sword free. The Orochi formed again, a coat of darkness gathering around its scales, its head grabbing for the sword. She saw its jaws clamp down, saw it toss the sword towards its waiting maw, and then Tsukuyomi saw nothing more.

* * *

The roar shook the very ground of Shinshu Field. Waka broke into a sprint, leaping into the air again when his legs could not take him fast enough.

He stopped, hovering above the pathway to the Moon Cave. Too late. Someone had removed Tsukuyomi and released the seal. A wave of dark clouds roiled from the cave mouth, withering everything they touched, and Waka saw a person scrambling away. Orochi's heads snaked forth from the cave, roaring again, red eyes blazing. He pinched the bridge of his nose.

_The one time I'm late for patrol… _He hopped away as the dark clouds began to reach the gate, looking out at the field as he swooped away from the Moon Cave. The person was running through the field, towards… Kamiki Village. _To be honest, I've never actually been there._ He dismissed the stray thought, drifting further into the field and turning back to his fleeing target.

They had rushed into the village. As Waka watched, a huge stone slowly rolled—perhaps the person was pushing it—across the entrance. The darkness enveloped Shinshu Field, spreading up into the sky.

_I have to report this to Queen Himiko. _He looked around for a place to push off. Then he grimaced, a wave of pain suddenly rushing through his head. A pain that hadn't been felt in more than two hundred years.

_The people of the city were strewn across the streets, barely breathing, except to cough and wheeze. The air was hazy with sickness._

Waka heard the hiss of demonic clouds, and then the world returned. The darkness was nearly upon him. He quickly glided towards the cliffs of Kamiki Village, their edges still sticking out from the clouds. When he reached their surface he pushed off, shooting into the clean sky in a trail of sky was slowly turning dark, sour winds blowing dead leaves loose into the air. Waka kept his path, leaving the darkness behind him as it slowly crept on. He hoped he would reach the city before it was too late.

* * *

As I watched from the top of our tower I could see the dark wave that crept across the coast. And then across the sky, slowly, like clouds grouping around to shower water on the ground and sea below, but we never got wet, our tower protected us. Stormy everywhere, hiding the land from us.

"Mama, what's that?" My mother padded over to the edge, and as she looked out at the coast below I could see her fur stand on end. "Mama?" The Water Dragon shrieked below in its rampage. Maybe the clouds made it even angrier. My mother finally turned from the sight, looking to the one other cat atop our tower, the messenger.

"Call for help whenever you can. Make sure my kitten stays safe." My mother stared back out towards the churning sea. The darkness did not stop at the coast but crept onwards, towards the islands. Towards our tower. My mother wrapped her tail around me to comfort me, purring softly. "I have to go now, my dear kitten. If I retreat to the stars and hide my presence, the demons will not notice this tower." Retreat to the stars… Sometimes I had heard her talk about that before with Yomigami when he came to visit us. It meant she would be going away, far away where I wouldn't be able to see her.

"But, Mama…" White lights like stars twinkled across her fur, brighter and brighter, and for once I couldn't see the markings swirling across them. Her eyes slowly closed, and when they opened I could see the stars reflected in them.

"Yomigami will come when it's safe and bring me back." She was shining, like a star from the sky, her face hardly visible except for white. "Everything is going to be all right." The lights covered all of her, and then they floated upward and my mother was gone. Her constellation glimmered brightly as it appeared in the night sky. I mewled and curled up, staring at the stars and wishing that she didn't have to go. Wishing she would suddenly reappear next to me, ready to purr me to sleep or tell a story, even go out on a walk along our tower's sides. The dark clouds blocked out her stars, covered everything.

"Mama…"


	24. Nebula

**Summary: ****The city of the Moon is attacked, setting off a chain of events that reach far beyond its source. One of the survivors journeys across Nippon, trying to stop what his people have released.**

**Disclaimer: Okami and Okamiden belong to Clover and Capcom, and I certainly do not own any of that.**

**Last chapter, Orochi was released. Various characters react to that. And… that was pretty much it. Oh, and we also have a new narrator, who will probably be sticking around for the rest of the story… Who I actually don't have a name for yet. And who is a cat. Wonderful.**

* * *

The darkness never left. I couldn't tell if it was day or night, sleeping whenever I felt tired and only waking up just as sleepy. No more glaring daytime light, but without it everything bled into a timeless haze… There were only dark clouds... They never came within the barrier that protected our tower, but spread to everywhere else so that nothing could be seen beyond.

_Maybe there is nothing left beyond. _Maybe the tower was the only thing left. Did Mama know? Was that why she had never wanted me to go down there? I curled up again, shivering, trying to imagine her warmth around me. But no matter how hard I closed my eyes there was nothing, no comforting purr, only a cold wind's embrace. Such a cold wind…

I saw the messenger tense, felt the wind's whisper past my ears. The fur on the back of my neck prickled. Something was wrong…

_Finally, after all these years…_ A voice spoke straight into my mind, coming from nowhere and everywhere. I mewled and backed away, pawing at my ears. It didn't even muffle the strange airy noise echoing in my head. I looked to the messenger, but they hardly moved, not seeming to see or hear anything. _You can't hide from me, little spirit… _I crouched, continuing to inch backwards.

My back claws caught on the edge of the tower, and then my heart jumped into my throat. The wind gusted hard at me, and I could almost sense its glee as my feet slipped. My back feet kicked at open air, my front claws caught between the stones of the tower, barely clinging. Slowly, shakily, I tried to pull myself up. My claws dragged along the stone, a scraping sound that only brought them closer to the edge. The wind's laughter echoed around me, and then my claws came loose.

I hardly had time to scream before the air was yanked from my lungs. Rings of clouds whooshed past, cold wind clawing at my fur. I flailed out for the tower's shining side, just out of reach, never coming any closer. The dark clouds over the ground rushed at me-

_Crack._ I yelped, feeling pain shoot up my leg. The dark ground, dotted with stringy tufts, seemed to blur in and out of focus. Trembling, I tried to stand, only to have it give in.

_It hurts…_ I mewled, collapsed on the ground, finally taking in the surroundings. Everything was covered in those dark clouds, shifting menacingly. _Mama… I'm scared…_

_There you are._ I heard the wind's whisper again, above, and tried to stand, frantically looking above me. I saw a faint outline drifting down towards, almost like nothing except for the edges against the dark sky. _There's nowhere you can run… _Then it stopped, shifting._ …What is this?_ The dark clouds hissed, and then the wind's presence had gone, leaving only thick, stagnant air behind. I looked around, but now there was no way to see the tower, just blackness all around me.

"I'm scared…" I mewled softly, my paws slipping along the flaky ground as I tried again to get up. Faint scufflings echoed from within the darkness. I froze. Footsteps. Whatever had scared that strange wind-voice away… I stood on my front legs, slowly pulling myself towards where I thought the tower had been. My leg stung badly as it dragged along the ground and I bent down, stifling a whimper.

The footsteps grew louder, then stopped.

"Who are you?" A deep growl. I turned to see a large creature looming over me, its blank eyes staring out from a bleached, frozen face. I let out a high wail, shrinking away. Its head tilted slightly, and I could see that its nose was elongated, not very much like a cat's. "Who are you?" It repeated, and finally I realized that it was language. Yomigami had taught me language, just a little. What was the meaning, what was the response…?

"Ch-child of Kabegami…" I began to notice the murky outline of its body within the dark clouds, an alien shape.

"You say you are a brush god, yet you have no markings…" I saw its head tilt towards my tail, seeing the inky tip, then look up—towards the tower? "She abandoned you, didn't she?" I flinched, hearing the creature's growl. "Turned on you and cast you aside?" A tail lashed back and forth behind it, then another, and another… I couldn't count how many.

"No… Mama's gone..." I began to pull myself away, but could only let out a cry as my leg was jostled again. The pain was dulling, my head was dulling, I wanted to just fall asleep and then everything would be all right again… I saw the creature step closer, tried to force my eyes open.

"Let me take you somewhere safe." Its voice was as gentle now as the tails that lifted me from the ground, carefully supporting my leg. I let my eyes droop closed, imagining that I was back on the tower, safe and warm and familiar. When I woke up everything would be all right. It had to be. Mama would be back, I would be back with her, the darkness would be gone and we would be safe.

I could almost hear the messenger calling for me, come back, come back. But already I was too far gone.


	25. Asterism

**Summary: ****The city of the Moon is attacked, setting off a chain of events that reach far beyond its source. One of the survivors journeys across Nippon, trying to stop what his people have released.**

**Disclaimer: Okami and Okamiden belong to Clover and Capcom, and I certainly do not own any of that.**

**Last chapter, we continue with our new narrator as she falls off a tower and is taken in by someone who might be a bit familiar. This is another chapter that was split in half due to length with pretty much no editing for conclusiveness, so... expect a lack of conclusiveness at the end of this chapter and the beginning of the next one.**

* * *

The first thing that came into focus was the sound of waves. Washing by, just below. As always. And yet they seemed so much smaller, so much closer… The hold around me seemed to shift with every splash. I blinked sleepily at the night sky, watching the inky streaks swirl in a nonexistent wind. The horizon swayed slightly. Was something moving?

One look at the dark surroundings, and my eyes snapped wide open. I let out a cry, trying to thrash free of my bonds, away from the dark ground. Couldn't be here. It wasn't safe. The grip around my limbs only tightened.

_Let me go!_ I didn't know the words, couldn't think, only yowled out my panic until the grip around me squeezed all of the air out. I managed a squeak, hardly able to move. _Let go…_ I gave up, and when they were sure I would no longer struggled the tails began to loosen their grip. Wait. _Tails…?_ And they were each tipped with red ink, as red as a brush god's markings...

"Stay quiet." The creature spoke in a voice somewhere between a growl and a whisper. I gasped for air, breathing shallowly.

"Quiet," I repeated quietly, and then the tails loosened completely into a comfortable cradle. I took deep breaths as silently as I could, recalling the previous… night? Day? Hour? The creature had carried me… towards safety, it said. I had fallen from the tower. When was it? I wiggled my leg, noticing how it hardly even ached. How long had I been asleep? I squinted at the dark clouds around us, but there was no way to tell how long, how far from home. It was all hidden away. I mewed, burrowing into the creature's tails—now I could see its fur was a sandy color, almost like a brush god's mixed with dirty brown—, feeling somehow exposed. The darkness swirled, clouds gathering around the creature's splashing feet, an outline of something—an island?—becoming visible far ahead. "What is this?"

"Humans call these places cursed zones." Humans? What were those? I yelped as the island's shape became clearer through the dark clouds. It looked like a flat-snouted head, ears flattened, jagged fangs bared in a snarl. So scary… no wonder it was called "cursed". I didn't know what "cursed" meant, only that Mama and Yomigami had spoken it like something bad and dangerous. "This place is under my control. No harm will come to you here." I blinked. Then… what did it mean, if not dangerous? The creature kept walking, and from what I could see its pale head kept glancing back and forth. Maybe there was some danger here...

The splashing lapped louder at the creature's feet, and it began to walk faster, glancing around at the dark-covered… water? We were on the water?

A bellow rumbled through the darkness, and I heard a large wave's sound crashing in the distance, not stopping but only growing louder. The creature hissed words that sounded more like a curse.

"Water Dragon." Another roar, and the creature was sprinting fast towards the island, tails tightening to keep me on its back. Drops of water sprayed my fur. The island seemed to bob up and down, hardly growing closer. A loud growling breath behind us swept the smell of brine across us, but now it seemed to make my stomach roil rather than growl with hunger. I didn't dare look back, curled up, claws grasping at the creature's tails.

Through slitted eyes I saw a tail reach for something hanging at the creature's flank, then whip back, sending some object flying into the water behind us. The Water Dragon roared, there was a loud splash, but the presence of its pursuit was gone. Its sounds drew further and further away as the island drew closer. Shaking, I pulled my head up enough to take a brief glance back. The Water Dragon, its teeth-ringed maw—all I could see—seeming large enough to swallow an island, writhed back and forth, tossing its head. I caught a glimpse of an object disappear down its gullet before it howled again—eyes wild and unfocused—and plunged back into the water.

I was still staring out at the surging waves until the creature's tails gently lifted me off its back. I took a few shaky steps onto the grey stone, then stopped and looked back. My leg didn't hurt at all… I tilted my head. Was that something there, or just a shadow..?

"Follow me." The creature briskly leapt up a ledge, then turned back to me, waiting. I looked down at the strange reddish-orange puddle bubbling at the base, then back up at the top of the ledge. It seemed so tall… Mama had taken me out onto the tower's sides sometimes, teaching me how to walk along them. But now, here, without the golden glow of the tower stones…

A brush technique. That's what Yomigami had told me. I hesitantly lifted my tail, watching the scenery take on a dull brownish tinge. One stroke, and the familiar golden shine appeared, glowing a path up the ledge. The creature's blank eyes watched me intently, head tilted. I looked away, back to the ledge, stepping up to it.

I placed my front paws on the face and slowly, awkwardly, jumped and pressed my back paws to it as well. The rock scraped against the pads of my paws. I began to climb. This wasn't like walking the tower sides at all, no huge distance and dangerous world beneath me, but instead only stone and heat… It was so hot here, I noticed. And I had thought, back on our tower, that there could never be any such thing as too much warmth…

Claws scrabbling for grip, I pulled myself up onto the ledge and flopped over, but instead of smooth tower tiles there was only rough stone. The creature's tails waved behind, already beckoning me as it walked away. I stood back up and hurried to follow, not wanting to lose sight of my only guide.

* * *

Extra Scene-

"Remind me again, why must we keep up these disguises within the safety of our own home?" Mr. Cutter tugged, irritated, at the shears that made up his mustache. "No, don't remind me, I remember now. Just in case someone breaks in."

"And we're only here in the first place because our new master orders it." Mrs. Cutter, next to him, was sitting atop her pack, twirling her knife back and forth. Then she suddenly threw it at the wall, the blade sinking into the soft rotted beams. "If that otherworlder Tsukuyomi had never come, none of this would have happened. We would still be living peacefully on the Moon… Mother Amanozako would still be alive…" The knife fell loose from the wall with a clunk. Mrs. Cutter stared at it for a minute, then hopped down and slowly walked over to retrieve it.

"Even Tsukuyomi was a kinder master than Lord Yami, though." He groaned, rapping at his hunched back. "She certainly never would have stuck us in these disguises. Does he even remember that, years back, he sent one of us to this same house, with the same orders? And they were killed within months." Mr. Cutter waved his walking stick around, as though jabbing at imaginary enemies. "This isn't a good place to be. The light of our home reveals us."

"We've got no choice, though." Mrs. Cutter heaved the pack onto her back. A panicked chirp came from inside, quickly silenced when she gave the pack a shake, dark clouds whooshing around inside. "It's just how the world works now, I suppose. We'll live and fight as each master commands, while they slaughter each other for the right to command."

"Will we even see another master after Lord Yami, though?" She fell silent. "Without Mother Amanozako, no others can take the path to become tengu. And the few of us left are hunted wherever we may go, because we are of Yami's legion. To the humans, we are simply another demon species to hunt. We may face extinction…" Mrs. Cutter clenched the knife tighter in her hand.

"Go to sleep."


	26. Protostar

**Summary: ****The city of the Moon is attacked, setting off a chain of events that reach far beyond its source. One of the survivors journeys across Nippon, trying to stop what his people have released.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Okami, it belongs to Capcom and Clover. Okamiden also belongs to Capcom.**

**Last chapter, our narrator and their companion are chased by the Water Dragon, and arrive at a possibly familiar island. This chapter finishes that arrival. And an extra scene has two Crow Tengu giving exposition about the state of affairs. Also, in case anyone's wondering, Obieta is a Japanese word for scared. Haha for lame puns.**

* * *

After a stretch, the stone seemed to become tiles, but they were still scratchy on my paws. I looked around, then peeked over the edge at the end of the path. There was a sea of that liquid, bubbling and rippling below. It seemed like it would be even worse than falling into seawater to tumble in... The creature hopped onto a thin outcrop lining the edge of the pit and began to walk across, tails outstretched. I looked down at the liquid again, lapping at the edges. The creature kept walking on.

I mewled, backing away. I didn't want to be stuck in this place alone…

"What is it?" The creature's voice was sharp as it walked back along the outcrop, fixing me with a stare. I sank to the ground, whimpering softly.

"Can't…" Too scary... The creature gave a small growl of frustration, stepping back onto the floor beside me and picking me up again in its tails. I clung to the tails as closely as I could, nervously glancing down at the liquid as the creature navigated the pathway of thin ledges. The liquid lapped at the walls with a hiss, and I buried my head in my paws and closed my eyes.

Everything around me bounced, and I opened my eyes. The creature let me down from its back, onto safe dark—smooth—stone, and motioned for me to follow further. As I did, I noticed all of the squarish structures—buildings?—on either side, made from some smooth brown material that wasn't stone and touched with rectangles of white canvas-like sheets. Only a few pairs of torches lit our way.

We stopped. I stared up at the huge set of doors in front of us, leading into a building—smaller than the tower, definitely, but still large. The creature barked out a command in some language I didn't know, and in moments the doors swung open. It stepped inside and I followed, gaping at the sight that lay within. It was so huge, so much space, and yet it was inside… The walls and ceiling glowed with glimmering decorations, patterns and scrolls and two strange hanging orbs filled with light.

A grunting noise came from near the open doors, and I looked back from the center of the room and nearly ran away. Two bulky, furless creatures, skin mottled intensely green on one and blue on the other, stood beside the open doors, a third set of legs grasped around them. Their faces were hidden behind blocks of stone, each carved into a strange grimacing face. They looked around a moment, then grunted to each other and pushed the doors closed with a creak.

"Tobi!" The creature's bark echoed down the long halls, and I saw a strange bluish glow streak into the room, racing in spirals before it settled to drift in the air. Now I could see, it was some sort of… scroll? Much shorter than the one on Yomigami's tail, and not curled at all. It was decorated with an intricate pattern, the glow an aura around it, flickering like a torch.

"Welcome back, Lord Ninetails! How was your journey?" The scroll was speaking? I looked around the room, peeking around the strip. The voice had come from this direction, but I didn't see anyone else… A tail caught me mid-creep and nudged me back. The creature shook its head, and then its tails reached up to its pale face and… removed it?! The outline of the face was held in its tails, but on its head there was a new face, furred in the same color as the rest of its body. It had smaller eyes—one was stained over and did not open—and the elongated nose stayed, along with the strangely different proportions.

"I nearly got caught by the Water Dragon." The creature sighed. "I had to toss the Fox Rods to distract it." The slip's aura seemed to fade a moment.

"Lord Yami will not be pleased…" The creature just nodded, ears flattened as if some threat had entered the room. I glanced around again, feeling my own ears flatten, backing a bit closer to the creature. The strip turned so that its design was facing me. "And who do we have here?" Its eyelike pattern stared me down, unblinking, and I had to look away, backing behind the creature. One tail wrapped around me for a moment, comforting, then gently pushed me forward towards the slip.

"This is our new guest," I looked back and forth between the creature and the slip, "who will need to be shown around." The slip folded briefly, as though in a nod, and then the creature was walking away down the halls. I scampered to follow, but the slip flew into my way, eye still glaring back at me.

"Lord Ninetails has business to attend to. I will be your guide. I am Tobi, and I serve as gatekeeper here." I watched the creature, my only guide in this place, disappear down the corridor. "Tell me, what is your name?" I mewled, trying to crawl under the slip but the creature was too far away and it wouldn't let me pass…

"I'm scared…" _I want to go back home… I want Mama to come back…_ But all that was here was a large strange, unknown place and a slip whose eye stared impassively back at me, and nothing familiar to hide in. Not even the creature's tails which if I concentrated hard enough I could imagine it was my mother's fur that surrounded me. Nowhere safe to retreat, everywhere I knew was far away, lost in dark clouds.

"Well then… Obieta, was it?" I didn't look at the slip, not wanting to face that eye-marking's stare. "Please follow me." I hesitated. But this voice was not as fierce as the eye it hid behind, and maybe the only way that I could get back to the creature… I stepped forward slowly, letting it lead me down the halls. "If you don't mind my asking, how have you managed to earn the favor of Lord Ninetails?" The creature? Was that what a Ninetails was?

"I… I don't…" Tobi led me through a doorway, and then I fell silent. Below, within a pit, strange creatures leapt across hanging platforms and hopped over spikes, dexterous limbs letting them swing around with ease. One of those creatures screeched to Tobi, sounding almost like when Ninetails had barked out commands, some other language.

"I will race with you another day. For now, we have a guest." The creature bared fangs, clicking to me, and as I shrank away it jumped back to join the others. Tobi turned back to me, aura glowing bright. "Welcome, friend, to Oni Island."

* * *

Extra Scene-

As a place between realms, the River of the Heavens wasn't always within the grip of reality. There were spaces where space seemed to bend and twist, pockets that spoke to Yomigami of places beyond. He had told other brush gods of the closed gateway to the Celestial Plain, a gateway that when opened only they could pass through. But there were others, open pathways that he kept to himself. One of them now radiated a plea, the plea of someone confined within.

He had gone close before, and let the pleading souls pass on. He circled around the gateway again, a slight ripple against the star-speckled sky. Yomi. That was the name he remembered for that empty place, known from the moment he had first known anything at all. He had taken his name from that place, as the only one who could bridge the barrier that held souls within.

_"Is someone there?"_ The voice was gruff. Yomigami reached out and sensed within… There was courage, but behind it was a dim flicker of fear. And it radiated an unnamable energy, an importance that he could practically sense. He had never retrieved a soul like this before. _"Are you… a god?"_

"Yes. What is your name?" What was, rather. But Yomigami had learned that they still thought of the past life once theirs as remaining theirs still, and clung to names and memories like a lifeline.

_"I was once called Nagi."_ But that had been so long ago, the hesitation told.

"Nagi, it is your time to awaken once again. Do you wish to start anew?"

_"I don't have much of a choice, do I? Eh, I've been a hero once. It wasn't so bad."_ Yomigami raised his tail and let the ink reach into the gateway. Within his mind's eye, he could see a crack in the impenetrable darkness. The soul slipped through, and he followed its drifting path upstream.

He swooped above the ground to see a child materialize, floating on the starry water. Yomigami gave him a nudge, watching him drift into the current, streams taking him towards his destination far away.

The rivers of the heavens could lead to anywhere, if the time was right. And Yomigami could feel a passage ripple and open, far downstream, awaiting the child.

The dragon looked around at the stars, twinkling everywhere. Perhaps this was his purpose. Perhaps this was home.


	27. Lunation

**Summary: The city of the Moon is attacked, setting off a chain of events that reach far beyond its source. One of the survivors journeys across Nippon, trying to stop what his people have released.**

**Disclaimer: Okami and Okamiden belong to Clover and Capcom, and I certainly do not own any of that.**

**Well… Last chapter, our narrator got a name, Obieta, and was welcomed to Oni Island. Now, we interrupt our narrative to bring you… the canonical Orochi scenes. Hooray.**

* * *

Waka hadn't remembered how unpleasant of a place the Moon Cave could be. Lonely rocks stuck out in odd shapes, stained by the pitch-black liquid—once water—that lapped at their sides. The sour winds gusted dark clouds to coat the sky, pulling at the few dried leaves that still clung to their withered branches. Any remaining grass had long turned a sickly brownish shade. Beside him, the purple barrier hissed, as though it could sense the Serpent Crystal he had brought. The memory brought back a faint grin, and for a moment the stifling atmosphere around him was almost ignorable.

It had been a good turn of fortune to hear about a strange crystal treasure within the Gale Shrine, guarded ferociously by a beast rumored to have risen from the blood of Orochi itself. The even luckier part had been a vision—brought to the surface with hardly a request—showing its use. But of course the fondest part of that memory was flying into the Gale Shrine, just as Amaterasu had defeated the demon—what was its name again? Ruby Regalia? Carmine Crown? It seemed to change by the year, and depending on who he talked to—and taking the Serpent Crystal right in front of them. It had seemed a little nasty to snatch it away after Amaterasu had worked so hard, but the look on her face and her insect friend's futile shouting had been completely worth it.

Oddly, on his previous visits to Kusa Village, Kazegami had taken an interest in him. The brush god always seemed to glance over at Waka when it seemed like he wouldn't notice, sometimes recognition and confusion, sometimes an expression of hesitance. They had actually never spoken, but he got the feeling that the brush god had something to say to him. It could've just been one of those oddities, though. Brush gods tended to have one or two. Not counting their origins, which were a huge area of mystery, something even they didn't know the answers to…

Waka noticed the spot of white passing the entrance gate easily against the gloomy surroundings, and smiled.

_Well, look who's finally here._ He watched Amaterasu run down the pathway, the flowers left in her wake a trail of color and life. As predicted, the sacrificial maiden was atop her back, clinging to the wolf's fur and to a jug of sake that bounced almost dangerously—it was either sealed tightly, or currently giving the parched grass an appreciated drink. Amaterasu skidded to a stop in front of him, and he grinned.

"I knew you'd come. I take it you enjoyed your rendezvous with the sacrificial maiden."

"None of your business!" Amaterasu's insect companion squeaked. Waka turned back to the barrier and took out his flute. Pity Amaterasu couldn't speak for herself at the moment. He took out the Serpent Crystal, hearing the barrier's hum grow louder, and placed it in front of him. Now, it was just supposed to take a little time, to draw the spirits to it… If it worked. "Hey! That's the Serpent Crystal he stole from us!" He ignored Issun, absentmindedly drawing his sword. Running through a random choreography of Tao moves, Waka waited for something to happen. When that failed, he stabbed his sword into the ground, trying to act unfazed, and went to play a short tune.

The flute's sound was drowned out by hissing. He stopped, lowering the flute and watching. The snaking trails of the barrier wriggled towards the Serpent Crystal, and in a puff of purplish smoke both barrier and crystal had vanished. Waka pulled his sword out of the ground and sheathed it.

"Well, the Moon Cave is open now." He felt a tremor run through the ground, from the cape mouth behind him. The last of the withered leaves fell loose from the trees, crackling softly in the grass.

He leapt to the side, Orochi's shadowy head lunging past to grab the maiden. Recovering, Amaterasu raced past, into the cave.

"I know you won't die this time, cherie." He stepped away, watching the wolf's shape disappear into the cave depths. _Otherwise, I would've come with you._

He only hoped the visions he'd seen had not yet come to pass.

* * *

"The time has come! O sacred moon, come forth to witness this beast's demise!"

"Right! In the legend, the moon was shining when Nagi defeated Orochi!" Amaterasu nodded slightly, Issun's words hardly registering.

_Shiranui howled, and above the clouds parted to reveal a full moon. Nagi's raised sword was illuminated in a golden glow._

_I remember…_

_O sacred Moon… _Yumigami's voice echoed in Amaterasu's mind. _That which can bestow strength upon any sword…_

Susano raised his sword to the sky, and Amaterasu threw her head up and howled, lifting her tail. The shape of a crescent formed, first in ink, then in the shine of moonlight. The pale clouds above cleared, showing the brightness of a crescent moon on a night where it was full.

_I lend my power to aid this sword… _Sparkles of brightness coalesced around Susano's sword, infusing it with a golden aura.

"Susano-Style Blade of Truth!" As Orochi fell, truly dead this time, as the reforged Tsumugari was retrieved from its corpse… Far away, upon the Moon, Tsukuyomi stirred.

* * *

Extra Scene-

"We have to. It's the Emperor's orders. We can't disobey that." The soldiers pushed the girl into the cell. There was a clank as the door was closed and locked. She turned, pressing her face against the bars.

"No, please!" The soldiers gave her looks of pity, but only walked away towards the exit. The girl tried desperately to shake the bars, but they were still. She collapsed against them, staring out into the dark dungeon with half-closed eyes. "Please…"

Silence. The moon shone down, perfectly framed in a small window, its light note yet beginning to whisper to her. A putrid breath hissed far outside.

**Such a pity, moon goddess… You wished for a successor, but only when you realize your foolishness will one come. Your Princess of prophecy will be the way by which you fall. **Far away, the same words echoed through the halls of the Ark, through the chamber of glowing pictograms. A pair of dark eyes held no glint of light, only the emptiness of death.


	28. Syzygy

**Summary: The city of the Moon is attacked, setting off a chain of events that reach far beyond its source. One of the survivors journeys across Nippon, trying to stop what his people have released.**

**Disclaimer: Okami and Okamiden belong to Clover and Capcom, and I certainly do not own any of that.**

**I am so sorry for not posting last week and for the late post this week... Due to a combination of circumstances and lack of motivation, I am only going to post chapters once every two weeks. But if that doesn't work out, I may have to call hiatus...**

**Well… Last chapter, our narrator got a name, Obieta, and was welcomed to Oni Island. Now we shall go and switch to a completely different character, just because.**

* * *

Kaguya stared at the wall of her cell, trying not to cry.

_What did I ever do wrong? _Her eyes began to prickle again. _I've never even seen the Emperor, much less given him a cause for anger… _She shut her eyes, though it didn't make much difference. _I wish I was back with Grandfather in Kusa Village, making bamboo ware… _But she wasn't. She was alone in the dark, imprisoned in a cold, dank cell for reasons she didn't know. Staring up at the patch of blue moonless sky, she wiped away the tears welling up with the sleeve of her kimono. If only it could turn night again, so that she could speak her worries to the Moon, so it could shine down its comforting light upon her...

_Moon Princess… _A murmuring seemed to filter through the bars, fainter than the stream of putrid, purplish water trickling by—at least she hoped it was water, she didn't want to imagine what else it could be. What could possibly be speaking…?

"Hello? Is somebody there?" Kaguya turned around, peering out of the cell. It was no use, it was too dim to see anything. A squeak came from somewhere on the floor. There, some small figure, glowing green. Kaguya squinted. Actually, it looked more like two figures. One glowing green, the other plain white. "Who are you?" Cautious, she kept her face hidden behind her sleeve, hiding her wet eyes.

"Um… Just a couple of passerby…." She could hardly discern the high-pitched squeak as a voice. "Are you that girl we heard crying before? Sounded kinda fake if you ask me." Kaguya fell silent, any semblance of a reply dying away. Fake… "You're not some monster trying to trick us, are you?" She looked down.

"No… At least I don't think so." _But I can no longer be sure of anything… _"I came to Sei'An to sell some of my grandfather's bamboo ware…" And even without knowing if the green glow wasn't just part of her imagination, Kaguya's whole story spilled out. The insect somehow knew her grandfather, and, like everyone, doubted any blood relation. But that was normal. Before she knew it, she'd lowered the sleeve hiding her face.

"Don't worry!" The green light bounced up and down. "Just sit back. We'll get you out of there!" She watched them scamper out of sight with the quiet patters of footsteps on the rock.

Kaguya waited, looking at the room around her. Something about this had begun to seem familiar. This dark, cramped room…

_Moon Princess…_ Suddenly pain crashed through her head, and she felt her body tense and then go limp. Images of a small, dark room swam before her eyes. Kaguya could hardly notice the details, but somehow, she knew this place. She remembered lying in a room it this one before. It was faint, from when she was young… And the same image, almost the same image, was pushing itself into her mind. The dark room.

_I have to find it._

* * *

It had been strange, how the Emperor had lurched by and unlocked her cell, all speaking in the voice of that glowbug that had bounced by her cell before. And it was even stranger when he sneezed out a full-sized white wolf, who began to howl in victory. Kaguya might have stopped to stare and laugh, but now everything else was secondary. She had to find the room.

Even out in broad daylight she could see the dark walls enclosing her, and yet she didn't know where they were. They were going to take her somewhere…?

Issun was chirping, asking her about the memory she'd recalled. The soft voice, as familiar as the room, murmured to her again.

_Return._

"…You don't even know where it is you want to go back to."

_The Royal Crest. _The dark room around Kaguya was replaced with images, distant and yet she could make out every detail. She could see herself step through a grove of bamboo. A crest, elegantly formed with the symbols of the moon, was emblazoned on the ground. The crest. That was the way back, back to the room, back to where she needed to return. Where was it? Where had she seen that place before? She needed to go there!

"Sasa Sanctuary! I must go to Sasa Sanctuary!" Kaguya didn't even think to say goodbye to her rescuers before she took off running, the images still dancing in her sight.

* * *

Kaguya stopped, looking around as she watched the vision in her mind line up with the world around her. She vaguely noticed that Grandfather was crying out, speaking to her, that her breathing was heavy and her legs ached with exertion. But none of that mattered now. She was here.

_The Royal Crest…! _Images flashed by, too quickly for her to absorb before they were gone again. The dark walls thrummed around her.

"It calls to me…" So close. Kaguya could feel the humming of the room suffuse her. Her arms rose up, independent of her control. Within the full moon's symbol, another circle began to glow, bright as the moonlight that had kept her company for all those long trapped nights.

The ground burst open. Grandfather backed away, speaking words that fell on empty ears as she stepped towards the hole. It beckoned to her. The room, her way to return to the home she did not know… It was there, she could feel it.

"I must go!" Kaguya's legs responded with a speed that was not her own. She leapt down the hole, ignorant of her grandfather's cries and the complaints of her legs as they landed against rock. It was here, somewhere. So close. She searched the cavern ground, prying at the unforgiving stone with her bare hands. It was further down. Home was down. She had to go.

"Hey, need some help?" Issun's voice chirped. Amaterasu landed next to her on the cave floor, and Kaguya smiled as the wolf began to dig. She was going home. She could only rush forward as Amaterasu cleared the way.

_It's here. _As soon as Kaguya stepped onto one piece of stone she knew. Her body coursed with happiness, watching the ground open and let loose a glow, as glorious as moonlight.

There was a rumbling, and Amaterasu dragged her struggling body out of the hole. As she watched, a strange object burst from the ground. This was it.

"I'm sorry, Kaguya… I knew it was here all along." Grandfather's voice. For a moment, the dark room, the moonlight, all of it vanished. The urge for this home she never knew pressed less on her. "One day it appeared, and your body tumbled out, nearly dead. We took you in as our own…"

"Grandfather…" Kaguya looked at him, wishing that he could hear the voices that spoke to her, wishing he could understand. This was beyond her control. "Something mysterious calls me. I cannot resist." She pushed down the impulse to leave, delaying it. Just a bit longer, here, with the only family she had. "But though I may leave, my heart remains here."

_You're going to where you truly belong._

Kaguya took out the red tablet that she had always kept with her. The glowing markings streaming across it seemed less of a puzzle than ever before.

"I kept this as a link to my past… But I won't need it any longer." And before she could grasp it away, keep it close to her, Kaguya pushed it to Amaterasu. She almost swore that the markings faded away from it the moment it left her hands…

But it didn't matter. She couldn't wait any longer. It was time.

Remembering Grandfather's request for her to return seemed futile.

She crawled up the object—a rocket, her mind told her-, into the entrance. A layer of translucency sealed the opening, sealing Kaguya from off the world she knew. She could feel the rumbling around her and only grin wildly as it began to lift.

_I'm going home,_ Kaguya thought as she looked out at her world below, all recognition disappearing as it grew farther away. _I'm going home_.

* * *

Extra Scene-

**The future is clear. This is what you must do to retrieve the Fox Rods.** Ninetails frowned, looking over the illusionary form he now wore. As Himiko, he stepped quickly into the entrance of Ankoku Temple. The priestess within—Rao, the one he would have to impersonate—gave him a smile, fingers playing with the blue beads that held her cowl around her neck.

"Come to see me so early in the morning? Do you not have your prayer duties to attend to?" He noted the delicate, curved figure and silently cursed his luck. He would have to wear the very form he had yearned so hard to escape forever.

"Prayers can wait." Rao gasped, clasping her hand over her mouth.

"There is no need to commit such sacrilege. You know how much the city needs you." She motioned for him to follow, leading him down a hidden tunnel. "Only when Sei'An knows peace, then…" Rao glanced shyly up at him. "Perhaps we may forsake our duties for a time."

"I…" Ninetails fumbled for words, but could find none. Even if he did know how to respond, it seemed somehow as though it would be too cruel of a deception.

"Himiko, what is it?" Rao stared into his eyes, hand slipping into his. He nearly flinched away at the unexpected touch, but suppressed the urge. All part of the act. "You don't seem yourself." Rao was at the end of the tunnel. She wouldn't be able to escape. Ninetails paused, not wanting to meet those worried eyes.

_I can't…_ He gritted his teeth. _No. I will not be weak!_ The priestess turned just in time to see his disguise fall away. Before she could react, Ninestrike was buried in her ribcage. Her mouth moved to form words, pleading, but only a choked wheeze escaped. He yanked the sword out, watching her body slump to the ground. The blood pooled out around her, the eyes staring up at him no longer holding their former sparkle of joy.

Ninetails could hardly hold back a sob.

_I did this._ He could feel no sense of pride in his strength, only a cold vulnerability. He lowered his head, snout gently touching the beads around her neck. Contact with the beads only sent another, deeper chill through him… And then hollowness. Ninetails stood, cloaking himself in the fallen priestess's form.

When he left that tunnel, it was like he had left a part of himself behind.


	29. Parallax

**Summary: ****The city of the Moon is attacked, setting off a chain of events that reach far beyond its source. One of the survivors journeys across Nippon, trying to stop what his people have released.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Okami, it belongs to Capcom and Clover. Okamiden also belongs to Capcom.**

**Last chapter, Kaguya got a chapter of her very own, all to basically outline what happens in canon. So, after that random episode, we're back to some recurring characters again.**

* * *

It was a sunny day, and Waka was on a mission. He didn't know why it was significant that the day should be sunny—countless other days were as well, and it wasn't like the sun's heat on his back affected his flight. Of greater significance was this request, given to him by a nervous Queen Himiko… She was usually quite calm, even while consumed by the problems that arisen across Nippon.

_Another darkness looms on the horizon… _Those had been the Queen's words. And then she had asked if he could purify a cursed zone. Northern Ryoshima's Cursed Zone, to be specific. He scanned the coast below as he glided over, hoping he'd remembered the correct way to the gate. It was absolutely infested with demons, and the islands there were inhabited by a variety of people who the demons could prey on. Now, with the main part of Ryoshima Coast already purified, but its savior unknown…

_I have suspicions of who it might be, of course._ Waka grinned to himself, remembering the dance of blades within Agata Forest. Amaterasu had returned from her long disappearance, and wherever she went the cursed zones were soon purified. He only had a borrowed paintbrush and faint memories of Sakigami's long-ago instructions, but he was on a mission. And that mission was currently to remove the curse here before Amaterasu could. He glided around a particularly large rock face, and the wooden gateway came into sight.

Banking, he began a descent towards the gate. There were two guards, hardly pink blotches from this height, standing at their posts beside the closed entrance. He landed neatly atop one of the gate's wooden spikes, looking out at the dark clouds that lay beyond. Still cursed, and the Guardian Sapling was what he needed to Bloom in order to remove it… It was over there, on the right. Its brown twisted trunk hardly rose above the roiling darkness that covered the ground and water.

"Excuse me, Tao Master…" Waka looked down at the guard, who fidgeted.

"Yes?" He could recall that it was on a fairly small island, but as long as he kept his footing, a few moments would be enough. Assuming the brush technique worked…

"What exactly are you doing here?" He gestured out at the dark area, glancing again at the sapling.

"Well, the Queen sent me to purify this cursed zone. So I suppose that's why I'm here." What would be the easiest way to get there…? Waka grinned again, taking out the brush. Flying, obviously. He jumped into the air, gliding into the place where none who entered returned. The guards looked on, then turned to each other.

"Sometimes I swear that guy must be mad…"

* * *

I collapsed on the rough ground, panting, as Tobi circled a victory lap above my head.

"Too fast…" The slip's glow flickered even brighter.

"As the gatekeeper, I need to make sure I am the fastest. Who else will catch those who infiltrate our island?" I rolled over, batting the slip in reply. Tobi darted free quickly, eye marking giving me an indignant glare. Eyes drooping, I laid my head back down.

_So warm…_ Oni Island was warm wherever I went. It was in the dry air, in the pools of strange—and dangerous, Tobi warned me—pools of red liquid, even the grey stone seemed to have a heat of its own. I kept panting, inhaling air only slightly cooler than the stone below me. There was almost too much warmth here, if there was such a thing…

Somewhere out of sight, an imp let out a cry of panic. My ears pricked, and I sat up. Something was happening to the shore. A wave of sparkling light was spreading across the coast, pushing away the dark clouds that had covered it. The sky cleared, daytime blue returning. The light didn't stop there but swept across the sea, fountains of water springing up in its wake. The coast was returning to normal. Somewhere to the side I heard more imps screeching, high-pitched fearful screams.

"Get inside, all of you!" Ninetails strode across the tiles, tails lashing. "Tobi, where is Obieta?" At the barked command the slip zipped over, briefly folding in a semblance of a bow. I crept over, the harsh barking tones keeping me tensed to scamper away.

"Right here, Lord Ninetails." For a moment, some of the tension, the harshness, seemed to fade from the fox's eyes.

"Take her inside." Tobi , expecting me to follow. As I stepped inside, I could still hear Ninetails's muffled voice, back to a stern shout. "Cloud cover! Cloak the island!" And then, softly, a mutter. "By Yami, is there no end?" But I didn't think too much on Oni Island's troubles and worries. I was too busy trying to recall that glimpse of color returning to the coast, to the sky above. Everything was returning to the way it was before.

Tonight, I resolved, I would watch for Mama's stars.

As night fell, there was a dizzying jolt that shook the island. When I walked outside, I found myself looking at the coast from a different angle, so much farther away than before. I began to search the sky, now clogged with white foggy clouds, looking for my tower. I followed the line of the tower up to the sky to my mother's bright constellation. Her stars twinkled back at me, and I could almost feel her reassuring purr around me again.

"What are you doing out here? It's not safe." I jumped, turning to see Ninetails's stern eyes staring down at me. Ever since I had been brought to this island, the fox seemed to disappear-off to unknown places-more and more often, and seeming more and more agitated with each passing day. I fumbled for a response.

"I wanted to watch for Mama…" Yomigami was going to come and restore her. It hadn't happened yet, but it would. And I wanted to be back there to see my Mama again… "Kyuubi?" Ninetails looked over. "When will you take me back to the tower?" The fox turned back to the night-darkened coast, eyes lowered.

"You can't go back there." My eyes widened.

"W-what—" _Why?_

"Your leg was injured badly. Too badly to heal quickly on its own." For a moment, the darkness of Ninetails's eye seemed to stand out even more against the cream-colored fur. But what did that have to do with anything? My leg felt better now, it had healed, and it wouldn't stop me from going back safely. Would it? "Please come back inside soon." Then there was only the soft sound of the fox's footsteps growing fainter, going back inside. I craned my neck over so I could look at my back leg.

There. That wasn't just a shadow, I could tell. There was a black spidery patch, webbing out from where the pain had hurt worst, visible even underneath my fur. I brushed my nose along it, and felt the hairs along my back stand on end. It wasn't fur, didn't feel like fur, but felt smooth, not like stone but something more alive. Almost a bit like my paw pads… How had I gotten this? Was this what Ninetails had meant? But Yomigami could heal, he could fix it, couldn't he?

I turned back to Mama's stars, still feeling my fur prickle. They seemed so far away now.

"Please, Yomigami, get here soon…"


	30. Perturbation

**Summary: ****The city of the Moon is attacked, setting off a chain of events that reach far beyond its source. One of the survivors journeys across Nippon, trying to stop what his people have released.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Okami, it belongs to Capcom and Clover. Okamiden also belongs to Capcom.**

**Last chapter, Waka Bloomed North Ryoshima Coast, Ninetails was stressed out, and Obieta just wants to go home. This chapter… She gets her chance.**

* * *

I laid my head down on top of my paws, my eyes half-closed, watching Tobi and the imps challenge each other to races through the obstacles. I didn't want to join them yet. The spikes still looked too threatening, and Tobi had said that I would need to work on jumping farther before I could leap from platform to platform like the imps could. I stretched out, rolling onto my side. My leg didn't bother me when I practiced, but almost seemed strangely stronger, less strained when Tobi pushed me to go farther, faster. Of course the rest of me was growing stronger too, the slip had told me that with a proud brightening of flame. But something was different, inside, something that on odd sundowns when the island moved would fill my ears with a low hum.

Ninetails had been gone for five nights, and probably all the days between them—I wouldn't know for sure. The fox had never left for that long before, always returning quickly after Oni Island moved to its next spot. I yawned, letting my eyes slip closed again. This warm island made me far too sleepy to stay up all night, not to even mention all day... My ears pricked up, searching for the constant background noise of the Water Dragon's roars, which had been a rumble throughout every waking hour since the coast had returned to normal. But there was nothing now, of course. The only rumble was the dark clouds that hovered stormily over the coast. The Water Dragon hadn't been seen or heard of for two nights—or was it three? My ears drooped down. But even though the coast was normal again and the Water Dragon was gone, I still wasn't allowed outside…

I remembered, one of the sentries had seen something speeding across the water, spraying seafoam in its wake. And once that had been pointed out to Ninetails, the fox had asked for me to stay inside, saying that it was now far too dangerous for me to be seen. But in exchange for not sneaking out—I wouldn't want to, if there was danger out there I wanted to stay as far behind Oni Island's walls as possible—I had been given a promise: if there was any way to get me home, it would be done. After that, Tobi had drifted up to me with a reassuring glance, mentioning another place where I could try to watch the sky.

There was a round platform area in the center of the island, with no ceilings and Ninetails had cleared a path through the pale clouds so that the stars glimmered through. I felt exposed when I was out there, worried that any moment something might come—that strange wind, the Water Dragon, something else beyond imagination… The imps were restless, Tobi said, of new danger out there, something else lurking in the ocean. And from the platform I still couldn't find Mama's stars, and the walls of the island stretched too high to see the tower, and it was then that the stormclouds had come. They thundered and roared and rumbled above, loomed above the coast in a replacement to the Water Dragon. So I stayed inside, listening to the sounds that came from outside the protection of Oni Island's walls, hardly able to imagine what dangers might lay beyond.

I sighed, glancing out the crack between the half-open doors down the hallway, but I could glimpse nothing but stone. It had been so many nights since I'd seen Ninetails… The air had begun to tingle, faintly. I saw the imps pause their game, stopping on the still-swinging platforms. Outside the doorway, I saw a pillar of darkness shoot down onto the pathway, and when it cleared I could see Ninetails, slumped wearily but there, for the first time in so many nights and days. I sprung to my feet, running over to the doorway, and only a warning glance from Tobi stopped me from rushing out to greet the fox. The slip darted through, and I cautiously peered out. Even as the unapproachable mask was removed, Ninetails's eye was pitch black and menacing, and shreds of darkness clung to the fox's fur. I took a step back, a current of fear beginning to coil inside me. Something had happened. Something was happening.

"Demons, rally!" The command rang out across the island. Every imp, every ogre, even Tobi snapped to attention, swarming out to greet their leader. I stayed inside, huddled behind the frame of the door. "By sundown we must be ready to fight!" As the demons busied themselves, sharpening claws and rushing to positions, I scurried out and went tentatively to Ninetails's side. That voice had scared me, so much that my steps turned shaky.

"Kyuubi, what's happening?" The fox's eye was still that sinister lightless dark, the same darkness I had seen there all the time, but somehow now that was frightening.

"It's almost time for revenge. Time to show Amaterasu..." An attempt at a lighthearted chuckle came out high-pitched, almost shrieking. "Who's the stronger one now? I have become a god!" The edge in the fox's voice scared me. It was a familiar voice, but something in it was dangerous... Suddenly, a tremor ran through the island, jostling the stones and rattling the walls. This was not the jolt that came at sundown. A sentry demon scrambled over, gasping for breath as they hissed out the warning. Something had broken the barrier. Something was coming for us. Ninetails growled. "She's here."

"Kyuubi..." The anger faded from the fox's posture, replaced with a look of horror.

"She's here." Ninetails's voice wavered. "You need to get out of here. Remember the way he-I first took you here?" I nodded, uncomprehending. Why would I need to remember…? I almost dreaded the answer. Tobi flitted past me, towards the starting line we used for our races. "Go back that way. Avoid the lava. Stay out of sight, and use the Water Dragon to get out of here." I blinked. How was I supposed to use the Water Dragon? Was it time to leave? Was I going home? "Look, if you want to be safe, you can't stay here." But again the fox's outburst of harshness faded, voice trailing off. "Rao... the beads… Find the beads... Save his soul, though mine is doomed..." Rao? Beads? What were those? But Ninetails seemed almost fragile right now, and I was worried what it would provoke if I asked. Then the fox's head raised again, body hardened in resolve. "It's time. I must retreat to the stars, set up the stage."

_Retreat to the stars..._ "Don't worry, I'll ask Yomigami to bring you back, too." But Ninetails didn't look any happier. "Kyuubi? I'm sure he'll come soon."

"Obieta. Please. Leave now." The fox's laugh had lost its dangerous edge for something broken and soft. "Set the stage! And of course, every actor needs a mask!" I saw tails hold the pale grinning face, ready to cover Ninetails's weaker matching grin, then I didn't look back any more. Scampering up the stairs, I ran outside—it was daytime through cracks in the clouds, dimming towards evening-and paused a step to remember. All of the stone pathways seemed identical, which way had I gotten here…? I recalled where Ninetails had turned, and hurried down a nearly hidden alleyway, quickly marking a brushstroke along the wall as I turned the corner. I tried to ignore the lava below, didn't want to slow down enough to be truly aware of the danger that awaited below if I fell. The golden shine disappeared from the wall almost as quickly as it had been drawn there, but I was already on the other side. I kept running.

When I reached the ledge-hardly out of breath; I silently thanked Tobi-I stopped. The lava pool below had bubbled up into a jet, spraying up to the level of the ledge. The ground rumbled in pulses beneath my paws. I kept my distance from the lava, stepping to the edge of the ledge. Then I yelped and jumped back. The Water Dragon. It was right there. But it wasn't roaring, or even moving... I crouched, peeking over the edge again. It wasn't looking at me, its eyes staring straight ahead. Its jaw was closed around the rock of the island, gripping, sending quakes through it with the sheer force. I looked from the dragon to its tail, stretching out to the coast. I had to use the Water Dragon to get out of here, Ninetails had said. Its back was flat and straight as a pathway of stone, stiff fabric-like strips like barriers on either side. Keeping my eyes on the dragon, I cautiously made my way down the ledge side.

Even as I approached the Water Dragon, close enough that I could reach out and bat at its eye, it didn't show any sign of noticing me. I hopped onto the dragon's head. It grunted, jaws digging harder into the rock, but didn't react otherwise. I looked back one last time at Oni Island, the second place I'd ever known besides the tower, then started along its back. The surface was slippery with brine but calloused and not soft at all. I hurried down the pathway, towards the shore. What was going to happen to the island? I hoped that Ninetails would show up after sundown to help lead me...

It wasn't quite nighttime yet, but when I looked back I could see new stars above the island. But... If it turned nighttime and the island moved and I was still on the dragon's back... I turned back towards the shore far ahead and ran faster. Beyond the tip of the Water Dragon's tail stretched the mainland of the coast. I reached the end of the dragon's bridge, and looked warily at the ground in front of me. It was covered in green strands that reminded me of fur, the brown skin beneath it peeking through. Somewhere new. But I didn't need to worry, Ninetails would be there to help me get home...

I stepped onto the coast for the first time. The sun was almost brushing the horizon. I couldn't see Ninetails's stars anymore, and when I followed the line of the tower to the darkening sky I couldn't find Mama's either. Had I missed it? Had Yomigami come already? What was happening to Oni Island?

My leg twinged. I began to wail. Tobi was gone. Ninetails was gone. Mama and Yomigami were gone. Everyone and everything I knew was out of reach.

What was I supposed to do? What now? What now?


	31. Planemo

**Summary: ****The city of the Moon is attacked, setting off a chain of events that reach far beyond its source. One of the survivors journeys across Nippon, trying to stop what his people have released.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Okami, it belongs to Capcom and Clover. Okamiden also belongs to Capcom.**

**Last chapter, Amaterasu reached Oni Island. Obieta fled and is stranded on the coast, far away from the tower that was her home. Also, something about beads and dark patches.**

* * *

When night fell, the Water Dragon dove back into the deep waters of the sea, and Oni Island dissolved into light papery shards that withered to nothingness in the wind. A black cloud drifted overhead-visible even against the dark sky-into the distance beyond. I huddled beneath an arch-that seemed more like it would belong in Oni Island's doorways but only led from coast to more coast-trying not to tremble as I looked out at the sea. The island was gone. And it didn't seem like the vanishing it did every night, this was too late, too much like it had gone not to another place but just turned to nothing. I didn't make any sound—I couldn't. The sky and air were clear, no pale clouds like those cloaking the island, no stormy clouds, no darkness… but my eyes, my head seemed fogged over, sluggish thoughts disconnected from sights.

The arch above me was grey stone like the tower, the one familiarity in an alien coast. On my side of the arch there was only a few steps of tufted ground before it dropped off into the ocean. The waves seemed calm, the tremors of the Water Dragon's passing fading away.

On the other side of the arch there were faint outlines of buildings-like the island-and lines of... wood? Lines that stuck out of the ground, each topped with the same shape. What were they? And the strange fur of the ground, less patchy than before, parted around a light path, almost like my fur around that dark part... Instinctively, I stretched that leg out in front of me, examining the dark lines that now webbed up to my back.

A chill ran under my skin, and I shivered. Everything was gone. I was lost. What was I supposed to do now? I looked out at the sea, following the line of the tower to stars I knew wouldn't be there.

_You can't go back there._ And I couldn't. I could only look from the shore to the distant base of the tower, so far across the impassible ocean. So far out of reach. And I was alone, on the shore, and there was danger here. Mama had said, that was why we had to stay up on the tower, because down here was too loud, full of danger and evil…

A soft rumble ran through the ground. My ears pricked, foggy thoughts jolting into clarity. Footsteps. Scuffling along the soft flaky ground, rustling through the strange fur that covered it. I squeezed myself as small as I could behind one pillar of the arch, hoping I wouldn't be seen. Something was coming, there was danger here, except instead of the loudness Mama heard it was quiet, stalking.

The soft noises of movement stopped, and I froze. Silence. I risked a peek out from behind the pillar of the arch. There was a lump of stone, sitting on the ground only a few steps away, that I was sure hadn't been there before. I stepped out, towards it, still glancing about warily. The stone was carved into a statue, a bit like a stumpy pillar, and a few chunks of the ground had somehow made their way to the very top parts of it. It almost resembled an imp if I looked at it a certain way, except it didn't have a mask or even a head. There was a rounded part attached to one side of it, like half of a stretched-out sphere. From a brief glimpse underneath, it looked hollow. Had something put this statue there? There was a scraping noise, stone against stone, and patters of flakes of earth as they hit the ground. I jumped away from the statue, looking around. Something was still here...

"Have you seen my head?" The statue asked. I yelped and scurried back behind the arch. I saw it move, facing towards me, carved parts that I now recognized as front limbs—arms?—half-raised. "Little one with light footsteps. There is no need to fear." The statue-was it even made of stone? I didn't know now-spoke like an imp, but its voice wasn't chattery. It reminded me a bit of Yomigami, deep and calming. I slowly stepped out again, still staying a distance out of the statue's reach. "Though my appearance may seem frightening, I do not wish to harm you." Wasn't going to hurt me. I relaxed. But what was he?

"What happened to your head?" The statue waved his arms as he began.

"I was once a monk at the nearby Ankoku Temple." Monk? Temple? I hadn't heard those words before, but they sounded as though they were dangerous. "But I found the bell's tolling too clamorous, and as punishment..." I saw his hands move, almost reflexively, to trace the edge at the flat end of his neck. "I should not tell such a young one. It would frighten you greatly. Suffice to say, I am stuck with a bell on my back-though a much better-sounding one-and cannot find my head." A bell. That was what that rounded thing was called. "Genjo was my name then, and remains mine still. Now, how did you come to be here, alone on Watcher's Cape?" Alone. Lost. The chill returned, almost stronger from the brief forgetting of it.

"I... Ninetails told me to leave, said it wasn't safe there, and now the island's gone and..."

"Island? I take it you mean Oni Island." I nodded, then remembered what I was talking to and mewed a quick "yes". "And you say it's gone?"

"I saw it disappear…" It was during that very night, but already it seemed a long time ago. The memory was already a blur.

"Having only been on the shore, I don't know much about that place, but I do have an acquaintance who may. He might be around at this time of night…" Genjo removed the bell from his back, holding it by a small ring. With the other arm, he struck it, and I flinched as a loud tone rang out across the coast. When the echo had cleared from my ears, I heard faint flaps of air from above. When I looked up, I saw a birdlike outline, only a few shades lighter than the sky, flap to circle around us. It descended slowly, then I lost track as it circled so close over the arch. There were a few light clacks, the tips of claws gripping onto the side of the arch-hardly visible, the colors were so similar-, then a blue face with one huge eyeball peeked down at us. I would have been more afraid-and I still was, still wanted to run away-but I recognized the shape. There had been creatures like this on Oni Island that occasionally roosted outside, where I rarely could see. Genjo waved up.

"Hello, Genjo." The birdlike creature croaked, leaning over a bit further. It had a beak, just like a bird, which was clamped down on some sort of stick that smoked like a torch on one end. "Why have you called?"

"There is someone," Genjo gestured to me, "who wants to know the state of Oni Island." I thought I saw the creature's gaze drift towards the ground as it let out a rattling sigh.

"Oni Island is no more, and Lord Ninetails is slain. I have no home left to roost..." The island was gone. I felt the chill run through me again, wanted to run and hide but I didn't know where, didn't have anywhere to go. Lost. No home. And, I began to realize, no Ninetails here to help me. And no Mama, she was far away...

"That's not good. I hope you find a new home somewhere... Are you alright?" Genjo was facing me now. I looked up. Above, the birdlike creature shuffled their claws with a clatter, peering over to look closer at me.

"Hello there." It squinted. "I've never seen anything like you before, nor one of us so young." One of them. Like we had something in common. Like there was something that linked imps and statues, birds and slips and foxes and... me?

"She says she fled Oni Island before it disappeared." For some reason, I remembered the look of regret on Ninetails's face.

_Your leg was injured badly. Too badly to heal quickly on its own._Was this what the fox had meant? Had something changed while I was taken to Oni Island? The dark patch on my leg. Something had changed. Each day I woke to find the lines stretching further than before, widening like cracks in a rock. But what was it that had happened, that was still happening?

"So, now that the island is gone, where will you go?" I didn't know who Genjo was addressing, but I began to think, feeling hopeless again. Yes, I had found two who could help me, but nowhere to go, nothing to be helped towards.

"I-I..." I couldn't get to the tower, couldn't go home and see Mama... But Yomigami had already come, he would have freed her. Would he have taken her with him? To that place he always spoke of like a home, even though he said he had none. A river, a pathway to the heavens. Had he ever mentioned where it was?

"_It is a bridge to a higher plane, a place in-between realms, but the gates have been sealed. Perhaps someday they will open, and I can take you two to see what lies on the other side." Yomigami smiled. "For now, it is safe, accessible only to those of faith."_

"_Where is it?"_

"_The entrance is a cave, deep within a small village. It is far away… you can't see it from here." Mama chuckled as I tried to peer out at the horizon, looking for this village on the distant shore, unable to imagine that there could be a place beyond the coast._

_The village… It was called…_

"How can I get to Kamiki Village?" The birdlike creature snapped out of its apparent deep thought.

"That would be a long journey from here." It shifted, gnawing at the smoking stick. "I can lead you there. Perhaps I will find a new home along the way." Then it seemed to remember something, and nodded deeply in what might've been a bow. "Nice to meet you. You can call me Blue." Easy to remember, with a large blue face and a pelt of blue-grey feathers. I attempted a bow in return.

"I've been called Obieta." Genjo made a choked sound that might have been a laugh, while Blue raised their eyebrow. "What is it, Genjo?"

"Nothing…" The statue coughed. "Well, I can follow you two up to the City Checkpoint, but it's too dangerous for me to go beyond there." Blue shifted again, clearing their throat.

"Already the night is fading. Let us set off if we wish to get anywhere before sunrise." Genjo nodded, and as Blue flapped into the air I took a breath, telling myself it would be all right. There would be unknown places, strangers, but I wasn't going to be alone. I had Genjo, and Blue, and… Tobi and Ninetails… I hurried to follow Genjo's shuffling across the ground, and far above, Blue's path through the sky.

I was going to find Mama, and then everything would be all right.


	32. Worldline

**Summary: The city of the Moon is attacked, setting off a chain of events that reach far beyond its source. One of the survivors journeys across Nippon, trying to stop what his people have released.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Okami, it belongs to Capcom and Clover. Okamiden also belongs to Capcom.**

**Last chapter, Obieta found some new friends to make up for Oni Island being dead, and they're all headed off to Kamiki Village. Or at least in that general direction. Also, I secretly worry that my characters either seem oblivious, suspiciously clairvoyant, or overall stilted. If that is the case, sorry about that and would someone please tell me which.**

* * *

A small Oina girl, her face covered by the mask of a leaf, shuffled through the forest of Yoshpet. Icicles whistled through the air around her, stabbing deep into the ground along the pathway. Her path curved and zigzagged along, avoiding each one before they even broke off from the trees above. The cursed trees made no move to harm her, their limbs idly still, purple fruit hissing and steaming in their branches.

One difficult thing about the Oina tribe was that, in the case of sleepwalkers, one could never tell if they were awake or asleep without committing a huge invasion of privacy. Luckily, few of them were, and Lika wasn't one of these few. But nothing was quite normal where these forces were involved. If she opened her eyes and anyone would be there to see, they would be a lightless black, a darkness that does not reflect even a glimmer of life but draws all in. The same dark eyes that, within the Ark of Yamato, gazed distantly, seeing not the dim lit metal but the child's path through the snow. Her tracks would be covered up by morning. The dark eyes flickered to a panel of machinery nearby, and then the signal was sent.

**Thank the Moon Tribe for wireless.** A gurgle of laughter echoed through the empty chamber, only witnessed by six glyphs glowing bright blue along the walls. The panel shifted, folding back into the Ark, the area of the chamber shifting its shape. **I gave them a proper thanks. With their successor on her way, they will survive long enough…**

The Spirit Gate's inseparable stone doors slid apart, the opening bathing the Oina child in light. Had this been ordinary sleep, she might have woken, thinking it morning. But it was not, and she disappeared through into the glow of the gate.

* * *

It was so quiet except for the rush of the ocean, only moonlight casting marbled streaks of light across the waves.

"It's okay, the water won't hurt you." Genjo motioned from far back on the shore, holding Blue's stick. I approached the waves carefully, watching them wash closer and then shrink back again. Blue skimmed circles above the water, eye focused intently on something hidden within the tides. The sand, as Genjo had called it, felt strange against my paws, rough like a bumpy stone but somehow shifting so my feet sank in with every step and some of it could worm its way into cracks between my toes. The water lapped at my paws—cold!—and I jumped back.

There was a caw, Blue swooped down to grab beneath the water, and then flapped over towards the sadness part of the ground. Something wriggled and glinted in their claws, and Genjo beckoned me over as they dropped the thing—no, several things—onto the ground. I saw them continue to squirm in between the tufts of the ground, then Blue grumbled and smacked at them a few times and the movement stopped.

"Fish." They began to peel apart the silvery coating as I watched. The inside was reddish, just like the food—wasn't that also called fish?—that the other cats brought up the tower for us to eat. "Are you hungry?" Now that I realized it, I was. I hadn't been while I was on Oni Island, but now my stomach had returned and ached for fullness. Blue tore the whole of one fish open, and I started towards it, only stopped when they raised a foot to stop me, then reached in and began to pluck out a series of thin, curved, nearly transparent sticks. "Bones." Then, finally, they nudged the gutted fish in my direction, and I dug in.

"I still haven't figured out how you know some human language, but not even know what a human is." Genjo sighed, beginning to pace back and forth again. He'd been doing the same thing back in the cavern we'd stayed at during the day, walking circles around the dull-colored gates. "Who gave you that name?"

"Tobi did." I paused my eating for a moment. "Someone on Oni Island. A slip of canvas with a big red eye." Blue glanced over, flicking away the bones from a second fish, then nodded in recognition. Genjo stopped pacing.

"Oh, that makes more sense. Continuing from earlier, besides being the reason that sunlight hours aren't safe for us, humans are the ones who have made all of the cities, villages, and other buildings all across Nippon. Except for Oni Island, that's a special case." I chewed slowly in thought. Had humans made our tower, too? What sort of creatures could create such huge things? But Genjo, everyone I'd met outside the tower, had said that they were dangerous, that they actively attacked those like us. And yet Genjo had been one before… It was strange to think about.

"Hurry up. We might be able to make it to City Checkpoint before sunrise." Genjo passed Blue's pipe back to them, while I scarfed down the rest of the fish. Then they looked over to Genjo with something that resembled fear but wasn't quite. "Stay safe when I'm gone." Right. Genjo would be leaving after we passed that point. For some reason, I felt a chill run through me. Something bad might happen to him. And either way I might never see him again.

I felt worried.

* * *

"Oki, wait! We've got no idea what's on the other side of that thing! You could end up getting more than you bargained for in there!" Oki turned away from the frantically bouncing Issun, gazing into the shine of the Spirit Gate.

"That's what I'm hoping for." Raising Kutone, he ran through, his silhouette blurring as he ran farther in. Amaterasu tensed as Oki's form faded completely into the light, ready to sprint in after him.

"Ammy… Wait… Maybe this isn't such a good idea…" She growled, silencing Issun's protests, and dashed through.

The empty forest of Yoshpet was still, every surface dusted with a silvery sheen. The stone doors creaked and slid closed, cutting off the light within from the snow-covered world.

* * *

This wasn't the first time Waka had been here.

Three times now, he remembered. The last time had been almost a century ago, after catching his second glimpse of Amaterasu. At that time he had been compelled to travel, to wander, going where his memories led and putting them to rest. He had stared up again at what was left of the sunken Ark, encased in a casket of ice. And he had looked down, through the thick shield of ice, into the lake where he had nearly drowned. Lake Laochi, it was called. The memories were all a blur, bubbles rising towards the faraway light of the surface, being pulled upward and saved…

Waka tore his thoughts away from that. That was long gone. He needed to keep his mind in the present. Ever since the incident at the Moon Cave, ever since Tsukuyomi was removed and Nippon plunged into darkness, Waka could feel it drifting, slipping into the future. It was less controlled, more of a lapse than meditation.

But when he allowed the visions to come, at least he now had the time and cheer to make wordplay out of them. It was almost like telling a joke.

_Yeah, like telling a joke to the Celestials._ Not a sense of humor among them. It was as if the very essence of the Plain had drained that alongside their memories. _Oh well. They're all dead now anyway. _And before Waka could halt that train of thought, his memory had unearthed century-old moments, from that long-ago night where everything fell apart.

_It was a full moon. The night of the sacrifice. He'd stayed out of sight, sneaking into Kamiki Village. Then he'd seen it. Tsukuyomi. Someone had Tsukuyomi, and they would be setting off that night to the Moon Cave._

What? Waka frowned, putting a hand to his head. No, that wasn't right.

_He didn't need to stay any more. The mission was done. The prophecy would be fulfilled whether he was there or not. So, with joy in his heart, he went to leave, still wondering. Where was Shin?_

That wasn't what he remembered. Was it?

_It didn't really matter where Shin was. There was always next year. Or even tomorrow. And every day and year after that. They had time._

But they hadn't had time. There was only that little bit of time, one cavern within the Moon Cave, fear and joy all mixed together. Shin had been almost in tears, and that wasn't ordinary. Shin, as he had known him, was aloof, somehow kept apart from the chaos of the world.

Don't leave me. Please don't leave me. Those were the words. And all those that would have come afterwards would remain forever unsaid.

_He came back the next day to find celebration. The village was freed from their plight. But then, as he searched for his friend, they told him what had been lost._

Don't leave me. Were those words really Shin's, or just his own, echoing around in his head? Had Shin ever really appeared so… helpless? So weak and in need? Perhaps he had simply imagined it…

_There's a time travel gate aboard one of the Ark's storage rooms, Sugawara said. But it's still a prototype. It's untested. And it hasn't been calibrated. We can't go back to before the Orochi came…_

The stinging chill from his frost-covered arms brought him back to the present. Waka dusted the snow off, blinking slowly, bringing his mind away from the jumble of memories and imaginings. He'd have to ask Amaterasu. After all, she was the only other one alive who would know… If she remembered. She had hardly recognized him when they met again in Agata Forest…

The last instances of the memory—it seemed now that was how it truly had been—flashed back before his eyes. Kamiki Village. Where he'd never been, except for that once. The scenery looked almost familiar. Just years too early…

One last vision had yet to pass.

* * *

Extra Scene-

"…I think I saw coordinates…" Shin pushed away the voices of the flowers to listen. As he focused, he could see the shrine, clear in Waka's mind. It was someplace he could tell Waka had never been, but he seemed to know that it clearly was somewhere, would be somewhere… It was something called a vision.

"…enter them into the Ark…" He understood those thoughts, sort of. They were going to tell Ark about the shrine… But why? Shin tried to consult the flowers, no longer listening to Waka's conversation. Perhaps Ark could remember better. Perhaps Ark knew how to find this place. Something was important about this, he knew that.

Whatever that importance was, it kept this one small memory from fading. No matter how long it had been, Shin could still remember. A shrine. A vision. A giant creature of the Moon that knew all.

Ark.


	33. Pulsar

**Summary: The city of the Moon is attacked, setting off a chain of events that reach far beyond its source. One of the survivors journeys across Nippon, trying to stop what his people have released.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Okami, it belongs to Capcom and Clover. Okamiden also belongs to Capcom.**

**Last chapter, we had some Spirit Gate shenanigans that ended up messing with Waka's memory. Also, Obieta is slowly making progress. Very slowly.**

* * *

The sun was coming. I stared down the large orange bridge that stretched across the ravine, the path between the coast and a place even more unknown to me, watching the outline of sunlight slowly spread across it.

"Hurry!" Genjo's voice came loud, panicked at the sight of the sun. "Blue will meet you on the other side." Above, the birdlike creature flapped, hardly out of place against the grey clouds. The statue began to back away as the daylight spread across the coast, waving to me. "Farewell for now, Obieta!" I looked back to the bridge.

_Got to hurry._ And before the sun could emerge any further from the horizon, I ran. My paws pounded against the bridge planks like my heart in my ears, and even when the pathway changed to grass I couldn't slow myself. The sunlight chased me onward, into the shaded protection below the land that rose into the sky like walls.

I could hear Blue's wingbeats softly above, only barely audible in the morning silence. From the newly outlined shadows I could see tall implike creatures, straight-backed and swathed in strange trailing furs, emerge from the nearby structures. Skin without fur and wrapped in colorful furlike materials that were not their own, emerging with the morning. I crept into the nearby patch of tall stalks—wood or plant, I couldn't tell—, staying close to the edges of the pass. Just like what the imps described. These were humans.

I crept slowly onward, fearing any small rustle would draw their attention. Towards the worn bridge I had to cross. A few green scrolls drifted past, between me and the humans, and I used the cover to move further towards the bridge. None of the imps had explained what exactly the floating scrolls were, only that they were allies. Just like the ones at the coast, these ones paused for a moment, faces of the parchment following me. I quickened my pace, through the trees, stopping at a rock beside the bridge. I peeked around the rock, then curled back up behind it. There was another one. How was I supposed to cross…?

There was a caw from above me.

"Run!" Blue swooped down, and as the human turned towards them and shrieked I bolted across. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Blue's stick tumble into the water with a splash as they took off again, swerving to the left.

I didn't stop running until we reached the safe house. Stumbling through the gate, I looked up at Blue, perched atop it, feathers slightly ruffled but seeming unhurt. They surveyed the area warily.

"I was told it would look different…" The house did look a bit odd, its shape slumped and crooked with a pile of beams collapsed against the side. "I'll look inside. Stay here, and be ready to run again if we need to." Blue glided down to the ground and approached the house on foot. I looked around. The sides around this clearing were like the walls of Oni Island, raised to protect most of it from the outside.

"Is it… not safe anymore?" They poked their head into the entrance, then after a moment of what sounded like quiet conversation they turned back to me.

"It's fine. We can go in." Blue shuffled in and I followed, unsure what to expect. I stepped through and was greeted by a group of blue imps, huddled together like a more cramped version of the cavern we'd stopped at in the coast. Some of them chattered to each other, words too fast for me to catch. "I had heard that this place was a safe zone, inhabited by two Crow Tengu. Did something happen?" One of the imps shrugged, tapping a thin stick—it reminded me of those stalks outside—against the ground.

"Dunno. No one around's heard from them for the last few moons."

"It was probably the same thing that came to Kusa Village," Another imp chimed in. "Crimson Helm got exorcised beyond recovery after that thing came by. It seemed too dangerous to stick around any longer, so we left." Exorcised. Another word I didn't know, but it sounded extremely painful.

"Yeah, something's arisen that's stronger than humans. It can kill even the most powerful of us." I didn't really know "kill", either, but... Another bad thing. I felt a chill, then a sinking feeling like fear but much worse. Dread. What was going on with the world, for all of these bad things to happen?

"And 'Lord' Yami won't even bother to tell us what's going on." The imp glanced around warily, then muttered, "Bet it's gonna go for him next." They shrugged. "Anyway, this place is still pretty safe. None of the humans come by. You can stay here a few days if you want."

"Wait a minute…" One of the imps pointed towards me, then waved one claw around in the air. "Wasn't Yami mentioning something about creating some sort of hybrid?"

"Yeah, now that you mention it…"

"Something about harnessing the power of a god…" One of those words was almost familiar…

"Now that you mention it… Do you know anything about this?" Blue shook their head, and I did the same.

"But if they were one, would they even know?" The imps dissolved into mutterings of speculation, and I suddenly realized something.

_When did I start to understand imp language?_ And speak it, too. It seemed to have come effortlessly…

I looked around the cramped house, the huddled imps muttering in worry, a chill running up my spine. I was one of them. And there was no safety anymore in Nippon for anyone like us.

* * *

_I don't want to die._ Shin's side ached from the crack of Nechku's staff, and the world had gone dizzy and cold. The twin demons had fled now, still undefeated. Perhaps it was just a side effect of breaking through frozen time. Why had the force of that trick seemed weaker this time, weak enough to shatter?

**It's because you don't belong here.** Even under the protection of his wolf form, that voice, dark as a sinister heartbeat, invaded his mind. He couldn't keep it out as easily, not with the source, the heart itself, so close beneath the ice. It didn't help that the words was true. This place beyond Kamiki's gate was Kamui, yes, but the village was different, the people were different, and the other wolf who that gate had opened for had known this place like it was familiar. The tipping of the tree towards them barely registered. That other wolf had defeated Orochi before he'd even arrived. And now she was the only one holding him from falling off the platform of Wawku Shrine, which he knew from climbing up would be a long fall. Shin felt useless.

And lonely. He hadn't seen Waka in a year. Even though it meant turning human and suffering every other creature's thoughts, those yearly visits were his only connection left with his… friend? Shin wasn't sure anymore if that was the word to use. But with Orochi gone, would he even visit?

The tree began to topple, and any thoughts were overtaken by fear. But there was a blue blur, and the tree fell harmlessly to pieces. The Oina, the one who had brought Lechku here, the one who somehow had gotten Kutone from village protection, stepped over to help him. Kutone glowed silver. Shin's legs dangled from the edge, weak, but with help he dragged himself up. The other wolf left, investigating around the platform, while the Oina, now a wolf, stayed by him.

'Are you okay?' He didn't belong here. He had to get back through the gate. He had to go home. Silently, Shin stood up, his legs still trembling and weak, brushing off the Oina's worried gestures. He staggered towards the door down the shrine.

_I don't want to die._ Not here. Not alone, among strangers and a strange world. The dark heartbeat lingered in the back of his mind, a waiting promise.

Once he limped out of the glowing gate he collapsed. The gate ground closed behind him, Shakuya's worried voice chirped somewhere behind him, but Shin couldn't focus. He forced himself into human form, slowly, but the injuries didn't disappear. His mind reached out, grasping for familiarity, and he heard Waka's voice, far away, and drawing farther away. Leaving. He couldn't retain the form any longer, feeling himself slip back into the shape of a wolf.

_Everyone leaves…_ The offer still hung in his mind, echoing around, but he was too weak to reach for it if he wanted to. Shin closed his eyes.

* * *

"Sun's down. It's safe to go out." I blinked sleepily, looking around at my surroundings. The last of the blue imps slipped out of the doorway, and I could hear snippets of talking and footsteps filtering through the wood ceiling. I stood up, looking up at the ceiling a moment more. Why was there a hole there? And the small sliver of a moon peeked through the hole, surrounded by the speckles of stars, before it was blocked by a masked blue face. The imp owning the face looked off to the side, somewhere outside my vision.

"Hey, d'you think this had anything to do with the Tengus disappearing?" There was a patter of footsteps as another imp came over to look. I headed out the doorway, walking in front of the house to see imps crawling about the roof, some stretching out white pieces of canvas behind themselves and hopping off. The canvas let them glide, shooting around the clearing, losing momentum after a few laps only to shimmy back up the house's sides for another round. As I watched, Blue flapped down from their perch on the roof, landing with a stumble that threatened to imbalance them.

"Are we heading out soon?" The words came easily, but now I noticed how I said them, the strange new articulations that came as naturally as a meow. They only groaned in response, a wing fluttering up to press their head. "Aoi? Are you okay?" They squeezed their eye tight for a moment, then blinked and looked at me.

"It's fine. I should be able to fly." Blue's beak clacked, as though biting down on a stick that should've been there. They flapped into the air, settling in a low circling glide as I began to walk out of the clearing. Now that we were under the cloaking safety of night, I could follow on the path with no fear. "We're heading towards Agata Forest. With the extra time, it's bound to be an easy trip through."

"Extra time?" Blue stumbled in the air for a moment, narrowly missing a tree.

"You don't know?!" They let out a long sigh. "This coming day is the Day of Darkness. It only happens once every hundred years, and for part of that day the sun is completely covered." The sun would be… covered? And it sounded like it would be not just the kind of covering done by clouds, but something darker. Like a night during the day. I couldn't picture what it would look like. I stopped to stare at a giant tree on my left, covered with light leaves. The leaves reminded me of Oni Island, shattering into the wind…

Blue landed briefly, looking back at me. I nodded and began to walk again, feeling my feet drag and catch on the ground. Now our path travelled alongside thin patches of water—the tiniest ocean, with islands that were almost to scale with the smallness. It would've been normally a fascinating sight, but all I could think about was all that I had lost along the way to now. Mama, the tower, Ninetails, Tobi, Oni Island, Genjo… So many. I could only hope, plead, that once I got to the River of Heavens, I would find everything needed to bring this all back. Everything needed to bring things back to the way they were before.

But would I? A chill ran through me. I felt doubt.


	34. Umbra

**Summary: The city of the Moon is attacked, setting off a chain of events that reach far beyond its source. One of the survivors journeys across Nippon, trying to stop what his people have released.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Okami, it belongs to Capcom and Clover. Okamiden also belongs to Capcom.**

**Last chapter, Obieta walked places… Specifically, through Taka Pass. Also, Shin was there because of time travel shenanigans, so we got to have him dying again. Hopefully I wrote him right, after probably twenty chapters of not writing him at all…**

* * *

Beneath the casing of ice, soon to be broken, the Ark was restless. The metal walls creaked, shifting and reforming, reshaping the corridors and halls into a single path. The darkened room of glyphs had changed, folding away the now-unlit glyph of twin owls, the two demons that the Ark had no time or materials to replicate. A click, and the empty lines now connected across every wall surged with blue light, filling the Ark with a bright, almost celestial glow. The Ark's heart, the orb, the mind that oversaw all, had moved to another room beyond, the way sealed as long as the glyphs still burned.

Dark eyes saw the distant sky, the daytime sun almost covered in shadow.

**I await you, Amaterasu. Deliver me on my way…**

* * *

Blue's claws released me and I landed feet first on the soft grass, running a few shaky steps on solid ground before turning to face them.

"You all right?" I nodded. That had been a bit scary, clutched in Blue's grasp as they flew over into Shinshu Field, but I had found it was easier now to not be afraid. Blue wouldn't have dropped me. And I could see a view from up high, just like the tower… I still felt strange, though, like there was some vague itch stirring beneath my skin. Something cold. I looked around the field, taking in the slopes and paths. Maybe it was just cold from being up high. Blue motioned upwards, eye fixed on something in the sky. "Look, it's almost total darkness." I looked up, reflexively squinting my eyes against the sunlight, only there was none.

"Myahh…" I stared up, amazed. The sun was shrinking away, just like the moon did, but much faster. What was nights for a moon cycle seemed to be happening in minutes before our eyes. The bright circle was now a crescent, and the sky around had turned a dark evening blue. "You can almost see the stars…"

"The humans will be hiding. It'll be easy for you to get into Kamiki Village. Don't try to seek them out or attack them, no matter what you begin to feel." I nodded absently to Blue's voice, watching the crescent become thinner and thinner. There was a humming in my ears, growing louder, separating and slowing into beats…

The last sliver of light winked out. Above, the dark sun glowed with red tendrils, far more sinister than brush god markings.

"Aoi?" My voice squeaked faintly. I couldn't see anything. It was dark, and I couldn't see anything. "Aoi!"

"**Kill,**" the once-familiar voice cawed. Out of instinct I ducked, and talons whipped through the air above my head. I stumbled back, blinking as the world shifted in and out of visibility. Blue's wings flapped loud in the blackness, rushing wind beating against my face. "What are you?!" Blindly, I ran.

**Kill them all.** The world flashed back into my vision as burning cold flashed through my body. I stopped. Could hardly bring myself to move. Pain raced down my spine, waves pulsing from head to tail, head to tail. My head pounded with feelings that weren't mine. **Kill.** The voice chanted, snarled, lashed around my mind. Head to tails the pain went, but the monster stayed in my head. I tried to cover my ears, feeling elongated claws clumsily slip and prick against my skin, but the voice never quieted. Giving up, I looked down. The blackness that had once spread from my leg now crisscrossed lines along long-clawed front paws, twining up my legs.

_My legs? Not mine._ The strangeness jarred me, and I had to look up. Even in darkness the world seemed lit now, shapes easily distinguishable.

Blue was gone. I was alone again. But, searching for my feelings, I found no trace of fear.

* * *

Yami's machine shook, hand outstretched with stiffening joints, whirring and creaking as the last of its power drained away. Inside the glass orb, the small body convulsed once, twice, and then went limp. The machine collapsed, dissolving into little more than smoke. Glowing with tendrils of light, intricate red markings patterning her fur, Amaterasu howled in triumph. Outside the Ark, the sun began to emerge again.

"Fantastique, Amaterasu!" Waka dimmed the hovercraft's engines a bit, applauding. "What a long journey it's been, eh?" Amaterasu—now at the zenith of her power once again—yipped happily, hopping onto her hind legs. He smiled. Seeing her like this brought back century-old memories, and perhaps with her former power restored, she would remember those memories too.

It was really too bad he'd lost his headdress. Yami's laser had annihilated it beyond recovery. Well, the thing had held up for nearly two hundred years, so he supposed it was about time. He was going to miss gliding, though… At least he'd found his flute after he'd been knocked off the edge. Waka frowned briefly. It hadn't been that long of a fall, certainly survivable, but the Ark's interior in general just seemed different from what he remembered.

"It's not over yet, though. You must return to the Celestial Plain and set things in order." Amaterasu jumped into the craft beside him, and with a few button presses the whole area around them unfolded into the snowy lands of Kamui outside._ Amazing. Did the Ark somehow upgrade itself?_ With a touch of a few buttons, energy sails hummed to life, and below the engines started with a whir. The Ark lifted off, beginning its long journey back to the land where it had once docked. Of course, so much had changed since then, he had to admit.

Even as the sun shone again over Nippon, six faint trails of smoke departed the Ark, parting ways in the daytime clouds.

**Indeed… It's not quite over yet…**


	35. Event Horizon

**Summary: The city of the Moon is attacked, setting off a chain of events that reach far beyond its source. One of the survivors journeys across Nippon, trying to stop what his people have released.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Okami, it belongs to Capcom and Clover. Okamiden also belongs to Capcom.**

**Last chapter, Yami was defeated. Also, the Day of Darkness transformed Obieta into something, and Blue flew away (possibly never to return to the story).**

* * *

_It was dark. It had been dark for almost as long as he could remember. But he couldn't remember much of before anymore._

"_Shin." The word echoed out into the emptiness, but only silence returned. "Waka." The words were nearly meaningless now. Were they names? One of them was his. The other was… He couldn't remember. He had a sense there had been other names, too, but they had been lost to him. There was only a blank space where he felt the memories should have been._

_There was a way out. This was the second time it had appeared—had it only been the second time?—since he had ended up in this place. A mass of swirling dark clouds, conjuring the image of a break in the endless barrier. It hissed with a blackness darker than the void around him, whispering promises of escape._

_**Accept me, and wish darkness upon this world…**__ Somehow, it gave him memories of a dark heartbeat, a sense that he could once hear that and many more things, but now he was deaf to them all. Voices. He had heard voices. He could still hear his own voice, but it wasn't the same, wasn't the same way. He'd been able to hear more, so much that the world became too… too… And what the world had been was only another gap in his hole-ridden memory._

_**Accept me, and your memories will return.**__ He looked again towards the dark swirling clouds. Just a step through the gateway… There was some warning that itched at the back of his mind, some consequence… He took a step towards the portal. It would linger for only a while, and after that who knew when it would reappear. He wanted—needed—to remember._

_Shin stepped through, and the world filled with light._

* * *

"It's beautiful…" Amaterasu stared wide-eyed at the scenery of the Celestial Plain, bending down to trail her fingers through the bright-colored flower petals as she wandered by. "I… I think I remember this place." She frowned, brow furrowing in thought, an expression of pain flickering across her face. "No," she murmured to herself, "Sakigami remembers it…" Waka looked up, hopping out from the Ark's new cockpit.

"Is everything all right, cherie?" Amaterasu shuddered, and he worried for a moment as her wolfish features began to return.

"It's just…" Then she doubled over, clutching her head.

"Amaterasu!" One by one, the fourteen brush powers emerged from her, transforming into their animal forms. Amaterasu's shape begin to shift back into that of a wolf, and Waka rushed to her. Around them, the other brush gods slumped, collapsing with vacant looks in their eyes. "Amaterasu, please, look at me." He lifted her head, searching her eyes for any sign of recognition. Her tail wagged faintly in reply, and Waka could only watch as she diminished to the size of a puppy within his arms, red markings reverting to their simpler versions. From the other brush gods' bodies, circles of light—not unlike the brush powers that had just carried them from Amaterasu's body—coalesced, floating off into the distant sky.

Amaterasu yipped, springing out of Waka's hands and running off through the trees. He looked around at the vacant-eyed circle that remained. Hasugami's flute rolled from his fingers. Yumigami stared off at the sky, almost as though still searching for the Moon. A large sheep with a drinking gourd across its back leaned against the slumped-over Itegami. Off to the side, a cat curled up, eyes aware and glancing around, ears pricked as though searching for some now inaudible sound.

"What happened to them?" Waka demanded.

"The others… They remembered times of before. It took those memories back." All of them had memories like that? He looked off again towards the long grasses where the newly young Amaterasu had run.

"Why didn't it affect you?"

"It did." The cat stared back at him, unblinking. "I can't hear the voices anymore… But I had no memories of before to take." Then her eyes began to cloud over. "I had a daughter. She's gone now. They said she fell off the tower." She gave a choked sob, eyes and ears searching for something now lost and quickly fading. "I… I can't remember her face. I can't remember her…" And then the last glimmer of light, nearly caught in a reflection of tears, faded from her eyes.

Waka stepped back, away from the cluster of dull-eyed animals, and walked off in the direction where Amaterasu had run off, still turning over the words in his mind. What were the brush gods, really?

* * *

When the sun returned, seeming harsher and brighter than it had ever been before, I found I couldn't fall asleep. No matter how long I curled up in the shrinking shade, restlessness sprung my eyes open again. So I gave up trying, accepted that new oddity, and looked around the field at the paths. One of them, lined by light-leaved trees with dark trunks, led into a short valley-like pass. Kamiki Village had been that way, hadn't it? There would be humans in there, plenty of them… But there would also be more shade, and Yomigami would be waiting. Hopefully.

I scampered through the brief spot of burning sun, into the shade brought by the pass, and then off to the side. My tails easily swept brushstrokes along the wall, golden shine still forming and letting me run onto it. Feeling safe to let the brush power hold my weight for a moment, I looked up—or was it to the side?—at the village, now regretting that I never asked Yomigami. But back then, seeming so long ago, I hadn't ever imagined I would ever leave the coast.

In front and beside me there was a small river that flowed by, with a bright red, dark-planked bridge crossing it. Was that the River? I let the golden shine fade and hopped down from the wall, wincing as I hit the ground out of reflex and not actual pain. I looked over it. An almost-circle wooden construct—probably human—spun as the water sloshed by. On the other side, the water flowed out into the sea, around tiny islands that almost reminded me of home.

_I'll be back there soon,_ I reminded myself. But with no Yomigami in sight or any of the things he had described, I decided it probably wasn't this. _Will I know when I see it? _I hoped so. But, following the river's path to a lake, I saw my wall-path would be cut off by a waterfall, with no bridge over or around it. Glancing around at the humans—it seemed that none had noticed me—, I went quickly across the brief bridge, then once I crossed it back to the nearest wall. Nearby, there was a strange reddish structure, like a doorway but with no wall around it, just a doorway standing there by itself. The pebbly path through the village led to there, where it morphed into smooth rock that continued upward. With no other ways in sight, I started up the path.

The stairs ended at and led into a grassy clearing. A complicated-looking stick structure was like a gateway into the clearing, stretching far up the rock face above. There were two paths on the ground, one with a gate and higher pass-like walls, the other with a wall of land on one side and open air and trees on the other. I looked back and forth between the two. Which to check first…? Perhaps the gates marked the right way. I stepped towards the right path, but something made me pause.

There was something important just along the left path. I could feel it. Keeping close to the wall—the open air unnerved me, like the top of the tower before I had fallen—, I walked down the fairly short path. As soon as I entered the clearing it led to I froze, a shiver running up my spine. Below the gigantic tree—it seemed almost as tall as the tower—and in front of another of those red gates, lying on a slab of stone, was a creature unlike anything I had ever seen before. Long limbs almost made it resemble a human, but it wasn't quite that. Beneath a coat of long white fur that lay over it, black markings—more even than mine—patterned across its human-bare skin.

It rose to a sitting position, strangely bright eyes blinking slowly, and I jumped back. Before I could creep away, its eyes had fixed on me.

"Do I know you?" The familiar language, accented in a way that reminded me of Ninetails, reassured me.

"…No?" He didn't look familiar at all, not in the way that those you remember are. Then he began to notice the surroundings, taking in the sky and trees and clearing around.

"This is Kamiki Village..." He turned around, staring up at the huge tree. "How long has it been?" How long since what? He seemed to have noticed my confusion, though he hadn't looked back at me. "I've been… away. For a long time." So he was old. But he knew this area. Perhaps he would know where to find… "The River of Heavens? Sorry, I don't know what that is."

"How did you…?" He finally looked at me, and seemed a bit sheepish.

"Oh, right. I can hear thoughts. Now it takes more effort, though…" He said this with a smile, confusingly. Why would he want it to be more difficult to hear? "It was loud before, hearing everything all the time." Oh. Just like my mother had been. That's what it reminded me of, at least. "I don't know why, though, but your voice is easier to hear than others." Maybe it was because of the markings we shared. He looked down at his arms in surprise, as if seeing them for the first time. "Perhaps…" Then he looked at me again. "What is your name?"

"I'm called Obieta." Then, still hopeful, I added: "Are you sure you don't know where the River is? Yomigami said it was somewhere in Kamiki Village…"

"Yomigami…" He frowned. "I think I might remember something about this River." Slowly, he rose from the slab, standing on hind legs like a human. "My name is Shin. I'm a bit lost here, too." Maybe we could help each other find the places we were looking for. Shin smiled and nodded.

Somehow, I felt a bit closer to home already.


	36. Occultation

**Summary: The city of the Moon is attacked, setting off a chain of events that reach far beyond its source. One of the survivors journeys across Nippon, trying to stop what his people have released.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Okami, it belongs to Capcom and Clover. Okamiden also belongs to Capcom.**

**Last chapter, Shin made a deal with the devil (or at least the closest equivalent) and was brought back to life in Kamiki Village, where he met Obieta. Meanwhile, Amaterasu and the brush gods got their life, age, and memory sapped out of them, worrying Waka. Also, last chapter ended on a very inconclusive note, and this chapter begins on a not-so-good opening line. No connection between the two, actually.**

**Also, just a warning, but this chapter is (comparatively) quite long.**

* * *

"You know Yomigami?" Shin paused.

"In a way, yes." Not saying any more, he stared up at the tree that loomed, flowering, far above us. "I remember back when this tree was just a sapling. No one thought it would last a year…" When that tree was as small as I was? Then I remembered something Yomigami had mentioned, that plants grew, just too slowly to see unless you watched very carefully for a very long time.

_How old is Yomigami, anyway?_ If he and Shin had known each other… Shin stopped, looking over at the gate that stood between us and the tree's trunk.

"And behind it there was a gateway…" I peered through the gate, a red frame around a hollow in the tree's trunk. Shin stepped through the gateway and gasped. Curious, I followed, and as I passed underneath the gate the world around me was flooded with a strange light. Looking back, even the world outside the gate now appeared bathed in green and white. The tree hollow had become a source of light, glowing as bright as the sun—and, as I winced a little, almost as blinding—, light flowing out as if it led to somewhere bright and this was just the doorway. Nothing I knew could be used to compare.

"That's the way to the River, isn't it?" Shin nodded, nearly imperceptibly, eyes glimmering even brighter from the light.

"It looks like when the gateway opened…" Then he flinched, as if suddenly overwhelmed by something. A series of contortions came across his face, which might have meant something to me if I had known more about human ways. Then whatever he had been reacting to vanished or was pushed away, and Shin looked again towards the gateway, then back at me.

"We just… walk into it?" I stepped closer, now forced to squint, but I could tell that the response had been a nod. I hesitated, but stepped in front of the gateway, squeezing my eyes shut. If I bumped into anything, I could just stop and turn around. Ears pricked and whiskers spread out to catch any hint of my surroundings, I walked forward, hearing the rustle of Shin's steps in the grass following me. This was it. This was where Yomigami was. This is where Mama would be... A few steps, and the ground beneath my paws seemed to lose its grassy texture. Even with my eyes shut I could tell it was bright, too bright to risk opening my eyes. I felt a faint tingling, the relieving coolness of darkness against my eyelids, and then my paws were on grass again.

I opened my eyes cautiously and was welcomed by the night sky. Trails of stars twinkled back at me from above and around the grassy island where we stood. Behind us, the light shone out from a pile of stones stacked in a gate-like shape, where we had come from. I walked over to the edge, and the sight below me nearly made me stumble. Where ocean or land should have been there was only more open sky filled with constellations. Legs shaky, I stepped away. Something about having stars all around made me almost dizzy, like the ground was going to tumble away from me and send me spinning away at any moment. But now that I tore my eyes to the grassy, hopefully solid ground, I couldn't see anyone except for me and Shin, who I looked back to.

"Do you know where Yomigami would be?" Shin frowned and shook his head, looking out at the path that traveled through the grass, before being cut short at a ledge and—from what I could tell—continuing on top of it. All there was besides the path were a few tallish branched plants with stems black like tree bark.

"This place looks... different. Different from…"

"From what?" He paused, seeming to search for the words.

"It seems its layout changes often. There's still only one path forward." And with that, we slowly started walking down the path. The light of the full moon above lit the sky and ground brighter than any normal night.

"Why… How…" I struggled to phrase my question. Somehow, there were stars all around us, and I wondered if Shin knew anything about them.

"I don't know, actually… This place is like a pathway, I think. A pathway through the heavens." Like Yomigami had said, I remembered. We stopped at the ledge, looking up. It was taller than it had seemed from a distance, the top far above Shin's height. Yes, I could use my brush to walk up, but what about him?

"I can get up there… I think." He backed up a few steps, looking the face of the ledge up and down. Then Shin ran at it, jumping at the rock face. There was a horrible scrape of claws against rock, then he dropped down onto the grass with a thump. He picked himself up, shaking his head, and ran at the ledge again. Again he ended up splayed out on the ground. "Ow…" I looked over worriedly, but he didn't move to stand. "I'm fine. You can go first." Hesitating, I painted a path up the ledge with one tail, then went to walk up, glancing back at Shin. As I crawled over the top, I heard him laugh harshly. "Defeated by a ledge…" When I looked over, he hadn't moved. Then I remembered something. Back on the tower, taking trembling steps across sides covered in golden shine… It had been my mother's brushwork. Not mine.

"Shin, I've got an idea." I saw him open his eyes, look at the ledge's face, and slowly stand up, nodding. Before I could explain, he'd already taken a few shaky two-legged steps up. _Right. He knows already because I thought about it._ The shine began to darken, and I quickly reached my paw over the edge to touch it, relighting it. That was the one other thing I'd learned—usually, a source of the brush power needed to be touching it for it to stay. Yomigami had told me that. And the tower, he'd said, was just one huge outlet directing Mama's power… The more I thought about that, the less I could wait to see them. I took my paw away and stepped back to let Shin pull himself onto the edge.

"I used to be able to jump up walls like that with no problem," he admitted, "but now my brush is gone, and apparently some of my other abilities as well…" Then he looked up at me curiously. "Kabegami was your mother?" I nodded.

"When we find her, I'll introduce you. She's really nice. And Yomigami knows about lots of places." Just speaking about it, I felt a sort of excitement. I was going to see Mama again. I was going to go home. Shin only frowned, though, and looked down, seeming suddenly sad. "Come on, let's go!" Ahead of us, down the path just a little bit, was another glowing gateway. I hurried down the path towards it, hardly remembering to stop before going through and look back for Shin. He had followed slowly, but I watched him close his eyes and step through into the light before I did the same. There was that tingling again, the light visible even through my closed eyelids, and then I was walking again onto soft grass.

This time when I opened my eyes, I almost thought I had stepped out at the base of the tower. I was standing on a green island, and rippling gently only a few steps away was the brightest, bluest river I had ever seen. With every eddy, the water sparkled as though there were bright stars caught within its currents. No—the water itself seemed like it was made of starlight. I went to the very edge of the island, dabbling a paw in—it was tingly like the portal light but hardly wet to the touch-, and laughed as flickers danced playfully across the surface. As I did so, I noticed my paw—the dark lines on it were receding, seeming lighter against my fur. Looking even further up from the water, I caught sight of the coast across the river, water and sand streaming down at its edges to some unknown ground far below.

"I hope you know how to swim..." I jumped, finally remembering that Shin was there. He trailed off, looking thoughtful.

"No…" Now that I realized that we would have to get into the water to get across, the river seemed far too wide. "Are you sure there isn't any other way?" But the more I looked around, the more I realized that besides the river we were surrounded only by the faraway sky.

"Well, maybe I could…" He went to reach for something—that had been at his side, apparently—but didn't find it there. "Right. I don't have my brush anymore. But…" He looked at the shining water, thinking. "Maybe I could teach you the brush technique." A brush technique for crossing water? Was he a brush god, like Yomigami or Mama?

"Okay." I raised my tail and waited for his instructions. I remembered Ninetails, carrying me and walking across the water—it seemed so long ago. Was that what this was like? Had he been a brush god, too? After a few seconds of complete silence, I turned around—to find that Shin was as still and canvas-like as the rest of the surroundings. _Oops. He doesn't have a brush, so I guess he can't…_ I let my tail drop, watching him blink confusedly at me for a moment.

"So, what you do is draw a circle on the water where you want the lilypad to appear…" I wasn't sure what a lilypad was… But I lifted my tail, trying to make a circle. When I finished, I watched as the misshapen circle of ink melted away into the air. "It doesn't have to be a perfect circle. You just have to make sure it's round and the ends of it meet…" I tried a few more times, unsteadily making a complete oval. There was only ink. "Well, it—" Before Shin could speak any more, I was lifting my brush to try again.

_Come on…_ There. A perfectly non-shaky circle. I dropped my tail, almost in defeat, as the ink still faded away.

"—usually does take a while to learn a new technique." I stepped back, already knowing what was coming. "We might have to swim across." I backed away a little more. "It's okay. You can hold on to me. It'll be quick." And Yomigami and Mama were waiting on the other side. Shin lowered himself into the water, clinging to the side. "That's odd. It feels… dry." Meanwhile, I stared at the waves from the shore, forcing myself to step forward.

_Water's okay. You've lived around it. And Shin will keep you safe. _I tried to reassure myself, but I still felt a little dread in the pit of my stomach. Then it growled, and I realized it was more hunger than fear. _I wonder if there's fish in there…_ I clung onto Shin—as gently as I could, remembering my longer claws—as he paddled across, staring into the water (or rather what I could see of it around the floating mass of white hair). It actually didn't feel wet or unpleasant at all, except for the waves lapping too close to my head for comfort. When we reached the other side, I clambered out onto the sand as quickly as I could. Mama was here somewhere.

There was nothing except for a brownish box and another stone pile of a gateway.

"Yomigami?" I called. Maybe he was in the sky somewhere… Shin just watched with a mournful look in his eyes. "Yomigami!"

"They aren't here." I was overcome with confusion. Why weren't they here? Where were they? Maybe… Maybe they were through the next portal. "Obieta, please. They're not here." I turned to Shin, but there was nothing I could say. He wouldn't look at me, eyes fixed on some distant star by the sandy shore. But… before the star, closer, there was something there. I could almost see it, blurred and faded, a swirl of light. Another portal. "We can't go through there. It won't let us through." Shin had moved away now, bending down to slide open the box.

"How do you know?"

"It's because of what we are."

"Well… let's take the way we can go, then." My voice was shaking. I headed towards the gateway, hardly remembering to close my eyes in time. I heard Shin's hurried footsteps behind me.

It was evening, and when I opened my eyes I saw Kamiki Village's gate looking back at me. We were back where we'd come from. I sat down, feeling my eyes sting.

"Why weren't they there…?" I didn't know where Mama was. I didn't know where Yomigami was. I didn't know what to do, where to go. They weren't there… Shin emerged from the light and sat down beside me, speaking softly.

"Kabegami wanted you to know… She misses you. And she is proud of what you've done." But she wouldn't ever know about any of this, would she? She was gone. Gone in a way that meant she would never, ever come back; like Oni Island, vanishing with hardly a trace it had ever been… "I'm sorry."

All I could do was break down in tears.


	37. New Moon

**Summary: The city of the Moon is attacked, setting off a chain of events that reach far beyond its source. One of the survivors journeys across Nippon, trying to stop what his people have released.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Okami, it belongs to Capcom and Clover. Okamiden also belongs to Capcom.**

**Last chapter, Shin and Obieta found and traveled through the River of Heavens, encountering many challenges in the simple obstacles due to lacking some crucial skills that the player/Amaterasu would have by default (such as swimming and wall jumping). By the end, Obieta realized that her mother was in another castle, except instead there is no other castle and her mother is probably dead. Instead of continuing on that vein, let's switch to another plotline!**

**(Also, apologies if this chapter is long and/or poorly written.)**

* * *

Far away, a rocket continued its path around the Moon, the faint pinpricks of stars in the blackness slowly moving by. But even as Kaguya's eyes were fixed on that sky outside the window, she couldn't see them. Her gaze was unfocused, her breaths few and shallow, and her thoughts were caught someplace far from waking. She hadn't noticed when the rocket's course had slipped into orbit, passing into the shadowed side of the Moon, or the city that reached out across the unlit surface, its vast network of corridors smashed open, fragments of colored light still blinking across the landscape in stutters. Outside the rocket's window, the stars flew past as the cratered land hurtled closer.

Kaguya jolted back to consciousness with a gasp. The hum of the rocket's engines died away.

_I'm here. I'm home._ She tried to stand, but almost immediately her unused legs gave out beneath her. Weakly, she pushed herself up into a sitting position, slowly stretching her stiff limbs. Laying her helmeted head against the window glass, Kaguya finally took in the world on the other side. Solid gray walls still stood around the shuttle's landing place, any flickers of color buried under a layer of grey dust. For a minute she could only stare, transfixed at the sight. Slowly she managed to stand, her body feeling oddly light, and made her way to the shuttle door. She looked uncomprehendingly for a moment at the closed door, then around the cabin. Before she could move further, something clicked and with a hiss the door slid open, baring to her the alien ground. Swirls of dust fled in puffs from the shuttle's open door where she stood.

Kaguya descended the ramp into the hangar, the taps of her feet against the metal-plated floor seeming oddly soft. Clean in a ring around the rocket, it was sectioned off into squares, one of which now held her rocket at its center. At each end of the open-ceiling hall, fragments of glass still clung to the twisted metal frames of corridors leading away. Shivering, she laid a hand against the wall, feeling a brief flicker of warmth. She brushed the dust away, smiling as she watched it trail through the air alongside her drifting sleeve. On the wall, a blue light blinked past, fast as a heartbeat through metal veins.

Kaguya wandered into the skeleton of the corridor, looking around, fascinated. Only broken barriers existed between her and the Moon's native surface, where the stark grey land stood against an unforgiving black sky. Her foot stubbed on something, and she stopped and looked down. The floor was split open, chunks around the impact jutting up in a semicircle around it. What could have caused such destruction to this place?

_I hope whatever it was isn't still around…_ She stepped carefully, ducking around the bent-in arch, feeling her feet scuff silently through the soft sand. The Moon seemed empty now of any life except for her...

She stopped. At a bend in the corridor, a person lay against an opaque glasslike wall, her black hair billowing out around her. Completely motionless. Was she…? Kaguya thought she saw a flicker of movement beneath her eyelids. She stepped closer, then staggered, wanting to clap her hands over her mouth.

"Oh my…" She wasn't breathing. Kaguya looked around again fearfully, but there was hardly a mark on her skin, no sign from afar that she was anything but simply asleep. Despite her fear, she couldn't stop herself from walking closer—and noticed a small paintbrush on the floor.

_She must have dropped it…_ Kaguya bent down to pick it up.

In a blur she was thrown to the ground, her vision filled with nothing but the webbed crack in her visor. Fighting to keep her breathing steady, she began to stand up, futilely trying to seal the fractures with her hands, but she could still hear the whining hiss of air rushing away. Kaguya froze, resisting the urge to gasp. Between her fingers, she could see the corpse standing in front of her, alive and tense. Cold blue eyes narrowed, staring back at her warily. The only response she could muster was a squeak, all attempts to even her breathing failing.

"Don't… hurt me…" _I'm going to die. I'm going to die._ The stranger just watched her gasp for air, her expression of bafflement and the grey world beginning to tilt away. Then death, the blackness she thought would come, flitted away. Her lungs stilled. Breathless, Kaguya felt the dizziness begin to fade. Still, she inhaled—meaninglessly—out of reflex before speaking. "How…?" The stranger paused for a moment, struggling to form words.

"How are you alive?" Kaguya glanced at her for a second, until she tensed again, eyes flashing dangerously. She wasn't breathing either.

"I don't know… I'm not breathing, but it's not…"

"…No. Not that. I know that." The stranger muttered. "You are of the Moon Tribe. Of course you can survive here." The Moon Tribe. She felt a flutter of happiness. It sounded… right. This was where she belonged. "But they're dead now. Almost all of them are dead, and the rest have fled far away from here…" And as soon as it came, that joy faded away in a chill. What had happened to this place? "So how are you here?"

"I… There was a rocket in the ground—not here. Back…" —Home. No. Here was home. But Kaguya had no other name for the place she'd left behind. "It took me here." Then, almost fearing the answer, she asked: "What happened here?"

"Yamata no Orochi." Her gaze began to grow distant. "I saw my people die in front of me, and thought myself forbidden to stop it…"

"Are you alright?" She paused, but the danger had faded from the stranger's form, replaced by a frailty. "Orochi was here?" Kaguya couldn't imagine it. The terrifying beast she'd heard of only in stories, wreaking its destruction on the Moon as well? It didn't make sense... "But… there are legends of it in Kamiki Village from centuries ago. And just this year, it was defeated forever." The cold stare didn't falter.

"That may be true. But Orochi was the means of the force that brought this city to ruin." She couldn't withhold a small gasp, looking around again at the scenery that now seemed even bleaker. This city, once part of an ancient civilization, was now only empty ruins… "And… who are you, then?" Who could sleep, undisturbed and unchanged, for hundreds of years? Who could know the Moon's history like she had been there? What part did she play?

"I am… Takefutsu." Kaguya frowned. Had she heard that name before…? In a prayer, perhaps? "There was a more powerful evil that guided Orochi to us… There is something that wishes only for my fall, to control the Moon and all beyond it." She began to look away under the stranger's eyes. "That force is how you are here."

"I don't know anything about… I… I started seeing visions… They led me to the rocket…" Kaguya struggled to find a response. "They started when the Emperor imprisoned me, while he was under a demon's curse… I had only the Moon with me in that cell… Do you understand? I… I wanted to come here. It's…" It's my home, she wanted to say, but any more words died in her throat.

"Yami… It knew that exposing you to the Moon would awaken the visions. It… it knows almost everything. It can see everything." She stepped back, wary of the look that was returning to the stranger's eyes.

"I promise, I don't want to hurt anyone—" For a second, a quaver of doubt ran through her—had she been influenced?

"Did you not realize what foolishness it was to come here?"

"This is my home... I was destined to come back..."

"No!" She shouted. "This is lunacy!" Kaguya flinched, feeling ice cold tears come to her unwilling eyes. "Next, the visions will tell you to murder. And you will believe them, just as I did. That is how I came to power here. That is the legacy of the Moon." She stepped closer. Kaguya stepped back again, seeing the murderous glint return to her eyes. "That legacy ends now." The stranger lunged, and Kaguya found herself frozen in place as icy hands wrapped around her neck.

_It's okay. I don't need to breathe anyway…_ She couldn't move, arms hanging limp, stuck staring into those murderous eyes. If she had been able to move, she wouldn't have been able to withhold a cry. But there would be no one around to hear, she realized. No one except for them.

"I made you," the stranger told her. "I can unmake you too." And with hardly a thought, the heir, the new princess of the Moon, crumbled into dust. The former Moon Princess lowered her hands, trembling as images washed over her. Takefutsu blocked them out, resuming the control she had maintained for centuries since she had become the leader of the Moon Tribe. But that life, the life of Tsukuyomi, was long past.

"No more visions. No more of this cursed place." Tsukuyomi was merely a sword now. Her name was her purpose, and her purpose was clear. There was a rocket waiting in the hangar, and enough fuel to scrounge for one last trip. Below, the planet awaited her. Below, somewhere, the shrine lay waiting. A power that could fix all of her long-ago mistakes...A power whose nature she even withheld from Waka's vision… _ I will find it._ "I'll find it for you, Amanozako," Takefutsu spoke to the hollow wasteland, "I promise, I'll bring you back…"

* * *

**Happy (late) Halloween, everybody.**


	38. Sidereal

**Summary: The city of the Moon is attacked, setting off a chain of events that reach far beyond its source. One of the survivors journeys across Nippon, trying to stop what his people have released.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Okami, it belongs to Capcom and Clover. Okamiden also belongs to Capcom.**

**Last chapter, Kaguya reached the Moon, and met an unfortunate end. Also, Tsukuyomi is back, with a new name and a vengeance.**

**Apologies for the bad quality and/or lateness of this chapter and subsequent chapters. I have no more prewritten material and very little time to devote to writing…**

* * *

_What did I do wrong? What did I miss?_ The starry dry-water rivers glimmered mockingly back at me. There's no one here, they said, you've been searching for something that's not here or anywhere else.

"It's not your fault."

"But Mama's gone." Shin hesitated, eyes flickering away. I watched him, my most desperate question hanging silently in the air. _What am I supposed to do now?_

"I don't know." I just stopped, unable to believe having heard those words. "Even when people grow older, that doesn't let them know everything." Shin sounded, for a moment, like Yomigami sometimes did, voice tired and filled with age. "You're not the only one who's lost." I couldn't react for a minute. Shin didn't know. Others could feel lost and scared, even if they weren't still kittens—still young. Growing up wouldn't take the fear away. I could hear the thoughts in my mind, new knowledge drifting through, but it wouldn't stick, just kept drifting and drifting around, repeating over and over. Words growing further away from memory, quieter, each time I silently spoke them over and over.

"Can we go outside?" _Growing up won't take the fear away…_ Shin looked over at me. "Please? Just for a little while?" _Others can feel lost. Others can fear, too… _

"We're safer in here." It was dangerous outside.

_Growing up won't… won't…_ Danger was scary. I didn't want to go out anymore. But…

"Why do you keep repeating those words? What are you trying to say?" Something about the always-dark sky, the always-full moon, made me feel like my thoughts were going around in circles, making progress to nowhere except back to the beginning again. Shin frowned.

"Please, just for a minute or two?" I widened my eyes in my best pleading expression, the one that sometimes made Mama let me skip tower-walking. There was something funny about it, now that I was using it to get somewhere scary rather than get away from it. But I tried not to think about what I was doing, or I'd start to get scared. Shin nodded.

"I understand..." He stood up, looking towards the glowing stone-pile gate. "Be careful, though." I hurriedly stepped through, before Shin, before I lost my nerve. With my eyes closed, I could almost pretend that I was just walking along in daylight… But the light prickled at my skin, and when I opened my eyes to the crescent of a moon I felt a chill. Looking down, I could see the dark lines against my fur. They didn't seem as jarring now as when I was stuck in the river.

_Stuck… Stuck outside of time, almost._ Others can fear. Growing up won't take that away. I remembered the words perfectly. The feelings, though, they were new and changing. As they began to coalesce, I heard Shin emerge behind me, remembered myself and retreated between two tree roots that were taller than I was. But there were no humans in sight, none except for Shin.

"Do I even count?" That was a good point. We had both changed in the same way. Clearly we had more in common than normal humans, cats, brush gods, or even demons did. And then again, Shin was more of a brush god, anyway.

_Grown-ups are afraid sometimes, too._ While my feeling settled on a strange sort of amazement, I began to see my memories through new eyes. Ninetails, who had seemed so strong and in control… Ninetails, I could see now, beneath his darkness and sternness and anger had been afraid. So, so afraid. Of what?

_Of me?_ I remembered staring out at the stars, Ninetails asking me to come in. Like Mama, wanting to protect me.

_You can't go home._

_Why not? My leg's fine._

_You can't._

Wasn't that how it had gone? I'd thought my leg was fine. But Ninetails had known already what was happening… Even when I still hardly knew. I was different, yes, but I didn't know how or why. It wasn't just the dark lines and the long claws and the stronger limbs. It was something inside, too. And Ninetails had known about it, and was afraid. He'd known legs weren't supposed to heal the way mine did. But why? Why?

I wished there was some way to bring him back, just so I could ask…

"Obieta." Shin's voice softly jolted me from my thoughts. I peeked out over the tree roots to look at him. Wait… Shin was older, wise like Yomigami… Even though he could be afraid, he still had that. "It's your choice. Where do you think we should go?"

"Shin, is there anything that can bring things back?" That's where we'd go. We wouldn't stay still, stay here. We'd move on with a purpose, keep moving.

"N—I don't know…" His gaze clouded for a moment. "…I can't remember anything. If I knew of anything, that is." I could feel panic creeping at the edges of my feelings again. Where would we go? "Do you remember anything that might help?" Do I…?

"No…" But maybe… Maybe there was something back in Ryoshima Coast. I might've missed something there. It wasn't much, but it was a start.

"To Ryoshima it is, then."

_Before sunrise._ We'd have to find somewhere to hide. I felt… used to that. I'd traveled with Blue across the same places. I'd done this before. The second time wouldn't be as hard.

We set off while the night still lasted.


	39. Fusor

**Summary: The city of the Moon is attacked, setting off a chain of events that reach far beyond its source. One of the survivors journeys across Nippon, trying to stop what his people have released.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Okami, it belongs to Capcom and Clover. Okamiden also belongs to Capcom.**

**Last chapter, Obieta and Shin set off for Ryoshima Coast.**

**Apologies again for any poor quality…**

* * *

I watched in utter amazement as a lilypad blossomed with a glow of light atop the water's surface. It stayed there for a moment, glimmering and green in the darkness, slowly drifting with the current, and then, in another flicker of light, vanished and left only an afterglow in my vision.

_Did I really do that?_ It had seemed so… Full of light, but not painful, like a star glimmering in the water. So serene.

"I hadn't thought about it that way for a while… After using them for so long, I forgot how beautiful they are." Shin smiled. I smiled back as best as I could. The comforting shades of night blanketed Taka Pass, and we stood by the river, close to the bridge and the large rock that I remembered passing last time. We'd spent the day before in Shinshu Field—huddled in a small cavern, with only a small blue flower bud for company, hoping that the human voices passing by would not discover us—but there had been no sign of Blue.

_I wonder if I'll see them again…_ I wondered if Blue was all right... They had seemed different when it all went dark. Thinking about it now, remembering the wild caws in the impenetrable dark, I wasn't sure if I wanted them to come back. Shin looked away pointedly, gesturing to the river.

"You can use the lilypads like platforms on the water." Looking at the running water, I hesitated. That lilypad had looked fragile, like all plant leaves, and I knew I wasn't quite as tiny of a kitten as I used to be—all I needed to do was look down at my long claws and black-patterned legs to prove that. "It's okay. You don't need to try it if you don't want to. First, just try to make another lilypad." I nodded, and lifted my tail. As the world assumed the shades of a canvas, I paused, letting my tails stay raised in the air. What would happen if used only the inkless one? Deliberately, I began to draw a careful oval on the still water.

_Make sure the lines meet…_ The shape now in front of me looked more like a lumpy rock, but I supposed it was round and complete enough. I let my tails drop. The ink faded away into the night. _Too wiggly._ Before Shin could comment, I raised my tails again. In the cleanest movement that I could do, I flicked my tail in what I hoped was a circle. The ends crossed over each other. Satisfied, I dropped my tails and watched, feeling victorious, as the glow of another lilypad lit up the riverbank.

"Um… What inkless tail are you thinking about?" Shin was looking at me, puzzled. I flicked my tails into view. Surely he could see that the newer one didn't have any ink on it. "They both have ink on them…"

_Wait… what?_ I looked back to my left and right. Sure enough, the previously inkless tail now had a few dips' worth of ink staining the tip. _Oh._ Right. Painting put ink on it. Fuzzily, I could almost remember when my own—my first tail had been new and inkless, not yet having learned how to paint. Just that memory, thinking of a time when Mama had always been there, brought back a cold feeling in my heart. I tried my best to suppress the feeling before I could break down again. Shin might have shifted beside me, but I wasn't looking. I was looking at the river again, thinking. I had two tails now. Before, I'd managed to use both tails with ease to make the walls walkable. Could I do the same with lilypads?

"I have no idea. I've never known of anyone with more than one brush—or tail." Well, it wouldn't hurt to try… I lifted my tails, squinting in concentration. It was really difficult to try and move them both in circles… When I finished, only one lilypad glowed to life in front of me. The other circle just faded away, while I tried to find any signs of its mistake. Had I not crossed the lines? Had it been too wiggly? I couldn't see any signs of that… "Maybe… Maybe it's just not possible to create two lilypads at the same time." Maybe. In any case, I still had one, and I was curious now.

Readying myself to jump back to safe land if it collapsed, I hopped onto the lilypad. It sunk a bit, splashes of water slapping at the edges, but still floated. Shaking a little—I didn't quite know what about one jump deserved such a response, but I figured it was the water immediately below me—, I looked down into the water. Beneath the ripples, I could see flickers of movement, shades that didn't quite blend into the dark water. Carefully, I crouched to bring my eyes closer, the water nearly lapping at my nose. Then a ripping sound made me flinch away, leaning back unsteadily. The lilypad's edge behind me briefly sank, sloshing water onto my paws. When I looked, I saw that my claws had clenched and torn slits into the leaf-like plant. Recovering myself and forcing myself to relax, I looked down into the water again, finding the flickers.

_Fish!_ I raised one paw slowly above the water, waiting for one of the flickers to draw closer. When it did, I grabbed for it as fast as I could, and in a splashing struggle I quickly tossed the wriggling fish onto the shore, then jumped over to follow it. Then I looked up at Shin. He froze, seeming completely surprised, then pointedly looked away. Since he wasn't moving, I batted at the fish before it could escape into the water, until it stopped flopping. Now, how had Blue done it again…?

"Shin?" He looked up. "Can you help me open the fish?" He paused, glancing away again.

"I don't really know how to…" We both stared at the fish. It volunteered no information. On the water, the lilypad vanished in a puff of light. I shrugged and started poking at the fish with my claws, trying to find a soft spot. "Oh, um… Remember that chest, back in the River of Heavens?" I nodded, trying to worm my claw underneath a scale. "There was something in there. I think you should probably have it." I managed to pry open a bit of the fish, letting my claws cut through the scales like they were the softest mud. Then, when I looked up, I saw Shin was holding… actually, what was that? It was white and red-swirled, a bit like the furs worn by humans, but curled and curved in such a way that only one part of it opened to the empty inside. "It's a pouch. I feel like there's something odd about it… It's too small to hold much." He laid it down near the fish, and for a moment I thought I saw a flicker of light.

"Did you see that?" Shin nodded, leaning closer. When he nudged the opening of the pouch towards the fish, I saw it begin to flicker with specks of light. Now, that was curious. I could catch another fish, probably, if this one was affected by whatever was happening. The pouch now overlapped, the fish near the opening, and with a glow the fish's body had become a tiny sparkle of light that slipped inside. _Whoa_. I peeked inside. The little sparkle glimmered out of a plain-looking inside. When I tipped the pouch, the sparkle tumbled out and then the fish was sitting there again, just it was before.

"Wait… I think I've seen one of these before. It's called…" He paused for a second, eyes flicking around. "It's called an Astral Pouch. They store food. And, when you've stored enough, they say it can save you from death." Before I could even begin to wonder about the possibilities, he added: "They're very rare. I've only known of one other besides this one." I gave a small nod, then continued prying open the fish. There was no chance that it could've been with anyone I had known… Who knows what it could be used, though, now that we had it... "Here—you should keep it." I stopped and let Shin loop the strings of the pouch around my neck. From there, I could probably put the leftovers in when I was done. The scaly skin finally opened to my claws, and I carefully began to eat around the bones.

"Do you want some?" Shin hesitated.

"Maybe another time." I continued eating. Then, briefly, a tremor ran across my skin. The pouch string suddenly began to chafe against my neck. I stopped and looked around.

"Did you feel that?" Shin didn't need to nod. I saw how he had tensed, too. I knew already.

* * *

_Within the emptiness, the spirit once known as Sugawara faced darkness. There were only hints of it, wisps in the background of an infinite horizon, whispering. Perhaps in some earlier time, he would have paid them no mind, known to ignore the voice._

_**Accept me, and wish darkness upon this world…**__ A memory flitted back into his mind. One after another they came, betrayals, betrayals by those he had worked so hard to help… __**Accept me, and you will have vengeance.**__ Bitter now, the spirit approached the darkness, letting its tendrils touch what form he still had. It had been foolish if he had ever thought the world outside deserved such kindness. The only thing they deserved was obliteration. Another memory returned, a secret hidden underground from long, long ago. It would be his inheritance, as one of the last of the Moon Tribe, as the only of them brave enough to take action against those mortals._

"_I wish destruction upon the world." Faintly, he began to feel the sensations of a real, physical form return, the lyre he had taken to his deathbed still clenched in his hands, and a pressure like earth surrounding him._

_**And that you shall have.**_

* * *

A jolt shook the earth, throwing us to the ground. Silent roars filled my head, screaming of release, for release. Outside the safety of the shack's area, I saw humans running and hiding away, in fear of the purple clouds that had crept across the sky, blocking out the morning light.

_They had better run._ I could feel a burning urge to rush after them, to put these stronger limbs and sharper claws to good use.

"Obieta." I crouched, inching forward. They wouldn't even see me coming, they were too busy running in fear. "Obieta, don't look at them." I looked back up at Shin, the spell beginning to break. What had I just been thinking…? How could I possibly think such things? I ran back into the shack, keeping my eyes on the now-rotting walls. "It's not your fault." This wasn't me, was it? The changes had a price. "It wasn't just you."

"How did you…?" How could that feeling be controlled?

"I've had practice… restraining myself." He could teach me. And we could only hope those teachings would be enough until we could find Ninetails again…

When I dared to look out, fearful of what my eyes might see, I found that the way we had come was now a jumble of jutting rocks. We couldn't go back. We could only go onward.

Onward, towards the origin of the force that had just shaken our world.


	40. Equinox

**Summary: The city of the Moon is attacked, setting off a chain of events that reach far beyond its source. One of the survivors journeys across Nippon, trying to stop what his people have released.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Okami, it belongs to Capcom and Clover. Okamiden also belongs to Capcom.**

**Last chapter, Obieta began to pick up the Lilypad brush technique, got an Astral Pouch, and ate a fish. Then demonic forces caused an earthquake, which kind of shook things up. This chapter, of course, you won't see anything about her or Shin at all.**

**Wow, this story is now about one year old! And it's still not finished...**

* * *

It had only been nine months, and Waka already wanted to leave. Yes, the first few months, after the incident that had changed the brush gods irrecoverably, had been peaceful—that was just how the Celestial Plain was. Peaceful in surroundings, at least. While the leaves swayed gently in the breeze and the vines wove over the now-faded wounds of Orochi's rage, he still heard demons' shrieks in his dreams. The nights were silent, eerily so, with only the dead-eyed circle of brush gods for company. It almost made him wish for the scent of those now-extinct flowers to return and wash him away...

With effort and some time, he'd managed to remember the Moon Tribe's way of braiding hair back; it had been so many years since he'd last recalled that particular skill, but he'd had to get it out of the way. Amaterasu, now a puppy, seemed to have endless energy. She had never once settled down to sleep—at least while he could keep an eye on her.

Amaterasu barked. When Waka looked over, the puppy began to scamper away, stopping and glancing back every few bounds. He followed, keeping a few paces behind out of instinct.

The puppy wriggled under a net of vines, and Waka hardly stopped to think for a second before taking out his sword and slicing through them. Ducking through, he saw Amaterasu picking up speed, heading towards—was that the edge of the Plain? He ran faster.

"Amaterasu!" The puppy didn't slow down. "Amaterasu, wait!" He hit the ground running, hoping that she still wasn't that reckless. The puppy stopped, looking out at the sky, and Waka came to a stop beside her, feeling more exerted than he cared to admit. It hadn't even been a year, and he was already out of practice. "What that about?" The puppy looked back at him, then at the sky again, tail wagging. Waka looked. There were a few clouds, a few birds, but that was about it. What made this particular spot so interesting? The puppy yipped again, gesturing again to the sky. To the same spot each time, he noticed. Maybe there was…

Amaterasu jumped off the edge and vanished in midair. Waka ran to the spot where she had stood, looking desperately for a sign, but there was nothing. Gone without a trace.

Unseen to mortal eyes, the light of a portal shimmered and faded away.

* * *

When Chibiterasu emerged from the light, he was splashing through the shores of a glittering river. For a little while, he stopped to play in the sparkles, watching the flying droplets wink against the dark sky like its stars. Tiring of that, the puppy stepped onto the shore, shaking nonexistent water from his fur. He began to wander off down a path, towards a shining gateway of stone. When he was in front of it, the light washing over his white coat, he stopped and tried to peer in, hardly squinting.

**Danger.** Chibiterasu went stiff, mind beginning to race. Danger. Someone was in danger. **Go.** Save them. Someone needed help. His heart began to race, a fast insistent beat in his ears, and he ran. He burst out of the gateway of Konohana's trunk, through the pathway leading out of the village. None of the villagers turned to look at him, going about their business. He kept running, out of the village, into a tunnel, the heartbeat driving him onward, telling him the way. Someone was in danger. There were demons about. He would fight them off. There, just ahead, two demons danced around a frightened green light.

**And so it shall begin.** The dark heartbeat withdrew from the young god's mind, having nudged him on its desired path, and settled again inside the heart of its human host. It was divided, yes, but not destroyed. **All will be as was foreseen.** It was only a matter of time.

So the darkness slept, and it waited.

* * *

For the first time in very many years, Waka had no idea what to do. He had no purpose here, but no means of escape. Whatever had taken Amaterasu had either vanished or would not let him through. The Ark didn't have even a flicker of energy left in its veins, and its engines were still so shattered, hardly patched together, that sometimes he wondered how it had even made that last trip to the Plain without falling out of the sky. And jumping… Waka made sure not to let his eyes drift over to the edge. Jumping was out of the question. Without a headdress, he had no hope of surviving that fall.

Then he remembered, and wondered how he could've possibly forgotten. There was still one option that he hadn't tried. Sitting down on the grass, he closed his eyes, seeking a vision.

_How can I leave the Celestial Plain?_ Achingly slow, a tingling image began to form… Then it stopped.

_No._ What fragments of images he had dissolved in an instant, and his eyes flashed open. _No more visions._ He searched for any hint, any clues that he might have seen, but there was nothing left in his mind to remember. It had been taken from him. The vision had been taken away from him.

_How…?_ That was Tsukuyomi's voice. Such an ability to remove visions was only possessed by her. But she was dead, that was what they all had known and been told… And if she was not… Waka felt a small growing seed of horror. If they had abandoned her for dead, stranded her there alone for more than two centuries… _How could anyone have went along with such a thing? _To their leader, no less. Unless, perhaps… perhaps they hadn't known she had survived.

He could try to find out. He'd heard her voice just then, when he'd tried to have a vision, so he closed his eyes and sought one out again.

_Does Tsukuyomi live?_ No images formed, of course; that wasn't a question that foresight could really answer. But Waka didn't feel any jolt removing him from his semi-trance. Something kept him there. _Will Tsukuyomi be the one to help me leave this place?_ Again, no images formed, but his words echoed back to him in his head, fragmented, as though someone was rifling through and examining them. Someone had to be listening. Someone had to be there. _If you can hear me… My name is Ushiwakamaru. It has been nearly two hundred and five Earth-years since Orochi's attack on the city of the Moon. The Moon Tribe is almost extinct._ He paused, realizing a lonely thought_. I may be the last one left._ The words echoed in silence for a few long seconds. Then Tsukuyomi's voice came again, frigid and unforgiving.

_Pray I do not find you._

* * *

Omake-

Far above, orbiting through the darkness of space, a rocket's display flickered into new patterns. Its path changed just slightly, the nose tipping downward, jets reactivating to adjust its course.

_Target: Planet Base 1. Landing will commence in six earth-days._ At the beeping of the console, a pair of glazed-over blue eyes blinked sleepily. The learning upload program continued to stream into his mind. Of course, there would be things outside, on the planet, that even the most extensive programs couldn't teach.

"Landing, huh?" The sound of his voice surprised him a bit, though it modulated just as accurately as all of the voices that had been used to teach him. Some of the wiring began to withdraw from his skin. "Dude, this is gonna be awesome."


	41. Quasar

**Summary: The city of the Moon is attacked, setting off a chain of events that reach far beyond its source. One of the survivors journeys across Nippon, trying to stop what his people have released.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Okami, it belongs to Capcom and Clover. Okamiden also belongs to Capcom.**

**Last chapter, Chibiterasu left the Plain to begin the events of Okamiden, while Waka was left alone there. He discovers that Tsukuyomi is still alive and seems unusually murderous. Also, we have our first mention of Kurow in quite a few chapters, as his ship is going to touch down soon.**

**Apologies for the lateness, and for the (probably) noticeable exclusion of City Checkpoint. I would've liked to include that scene, but there was a lack of reference material on what it actually looked like at this point…**

* * *

We made it into Ryoshima, but there was little nighttime to spare.

"I remember a safe place. I stayed there last time I was here." I turned quickly, mind racing faster than my feet to find the right path. That time, when I had been with Genjo and Blue, seemed so distant now. Between then and now, I felt… older. I checked my path and doubled back to correct myself, Shin immediately switching directions with me. With the daylight beginning to peek over the horizon, I found the hole to the cavern and leapt in without hesitation.

I landed easily on my feet and stepped a distance from the entrance above, listening to my claw-taps on the floor echo back at me. There was a thump as Shin dropped down behind me. I looked back, and we both retreated from the brightening circle of light that the entrance cast down on the floor.

"We made it." Shin spoke, almost unnecessarily. Still, the echoing of a voice was reassuring—it kept my ears from twitching and my muscles from tensing at every slight sound. Unfortunately, looking around, I could tell the cavern wasn't as safe as it had been. For one thing, we were the only two occupants. The chatter of imps crowded together, the mysterious gates, even the menacing chatters and flickers that Blue had told me to just ignore were all no longer there. Instead, patches of too-bright grass lit the once-dark cavern, and a strange new network of ridges and hills had been added to the cavern floor.

…_That's not a hill, is it?_ Shin shook his head, staring up at the body. Now that I was looking, I could see the gigantic corpse that lay splayed out across the ground, and in the new unpleasant light it was clear that flies—and perhaps the grass itself, if that was one of us—had eaten through the long armored legs. _What happened here?_

"I… I…" He hesitated. "…I cannot remember. But I think I have memory of when this—creature was alive." Maybe that had been the source of those noises in the darkness… I sniffed. Despite the flies, normally a marker of food (though usually food past hope of eating), I couldn't smell anything edible. There was a strong smell, though, that reminded me of squashed bugs. "I think that's because that thing was a bug of sorts. A spider."

"Really?" One so large it could bat me around like I had played with them? That was a scary thought. I decided to stay away from playing around with bugs for a little while, just in case there were others like this that would be angry. Shin settled on the floor into a position with his legs folded. I didn't try to imitate him; it looked painful to try. Human bodies seemed to have more flexible limbs than my own.

"So… This area, Ryoshima Coast, is your home?" I nodded.

"Sort of. I never really left the tower though. Not until…" Until things changed. Until Mama went away to the stars and I never saw her again. Until I fell, and Ninetails found me, and then everything had changed so much that it wouldn't quite fit back the way it was before. Especially not now. But now, I wasn't sure that I wanted my old life back. I wanted Mama back, yes, I really did. I really wanted to see her again. But I couldn't go back to doing only the things I had done before, now that I had seen a world that was dangerous but also peaceful, loud but sometimes quiet, too. I hoped that I would see her again, and be able to tell her about all of this—maybe even show her.

"I think I have visited this area before." Shin sort of squinted, in the way he did when he was trying to remember something. "I was here to find someone who stayed in the city-There's a city near here, isn't there?" I paused. Actually, I didn't really know. I hardly knew what a city was. But there had been many humans around this area, and they seemed to come from somewhere nearby. "That someone… was very close to me." Shin looked down, then moved to stand. "He still lives in the city, I know it. I need to find him."

"Go… into a city of humans?" That seemed like a dangerous idea, even in the night.

"I have to. The last time we met… We didn't have enough time. It wasn't meant to be goodbye." He was pacing now, the farthest from calm I had ever seen him.

"Isn't there a safer way?" Shin closed his eyes, took a breath, and the gestures seemed to calm him a bit.

"I can try to listen for him." I nodded, yawning.

_I'm going to sleep. Good luck._ Shin nodded, and I curled up to sleep.

* * *

A constellation glowed to life in the starry sky above the statue of a penguin, and the scenery was transformed. As Chibiterasu watched, a trio of small penguins arranged themselves clumsily and addressed him.

"O Child of the Great Sun! We are the Young Michigami, born to the Spirit of the Brush." Spirit of the Brush… Neither Chibiterasu nor what remained within him of Amaterasu's memories knew of such a spirit. "Nine moons ago your mother, the great goddess Amaterasu…" For a moment the three paused, chirruping quietly to each other. "…fought and bested the evil darkness that was Yami. This upset the balance of light and dark, and the elders were lost." Chibiterasu tilted his head. There had been no penguin among the elders they spoke of. A gust of wind swept his suspicions away. "But a new guard was then born of which we are but a part. We see your heart and recognize that it resonates with ours. You now have the power to guide those who are pure of heart!" With a light, he felt the power infuse him, and again the wind rushed past in a pleasant whisper.

_Now, you have the power to guide your allies. _

"That's weird. I hear this voice in my head…" Kuni spoke, but Chibiterasu wasn't quite listening. "There were some places I was afraid to go before… But with you guiding me, I think I can go anywhere!" The wind laughed lightly, and with a few parting words it was gone into the stillness:

_Their will is yours to command…_

* * *

The sun was setting again, and the circle of light on the floor slowly dimmed into obscurity. Shin looked over at Obieta. Her thoughts were still deep in sleep. He hadn't been listening to the city's voices—they were too far away. He knew he needed to get closer, inside the city, before he could even try to listen for Waka.

"I promise, I'll be back before you wake." Easily, he jumped up and pulled himself out of the entrance hole. The coast was empty, not a human in sight. Silently, Shin ran down the pathways towards the city. Then he quickly skidded to a stop, crouching behind a corner. He remembered. There would be guards by the gate. Human guards.

"Did you hear something?" One of them spoke. Shin looked to the corner, where they would be, then up the rock face he was hiding behind. He had claws now, didn't he? It was time to see how well they worked. With a jump, they easily found and latched to chinks in the rock—loudly. "Hello?" He scrabbled up, keeping his eyes away from the footsteps below. The rock flattened out at the top, and after a few crawled steps he dropped down on the other side of the gate and started running again, towards the city. With a running start, he jumped the wall and stayed crouched atop it, looking out over the darkened empty streets.

"Hey!" A voice hissed. Shin looked. A demon's masked head peeked out from a nearly-finished building. He blinked. The demon waddled out, carrying what seemed to be carpentry tools. "What are you doing here?"

"I might ask you the same thing." What were demons doing inside the city? Was it safe now? When Shin listened hard enough, he could hear—to his shock—the demon's nervous thoughts. They were stressed about finishing the building, about him—a mysterious new species, almost—and overall about having to work among humans for almost nine moons. Besides them, several more entities were within the building.

"If you're one of us, you've got two choices. I can see if the troupe will let you stay with us, or you need to get out of here before you get spotted." The city wasn't safe, then.

"If the city isn't safe, why are you and your troupe here?"

"We have orders." He sensed that he didn't want to pry about those orders, or who gave them. There was the memory of a strange heartbeat that warned him away from that. The demon crawled up onto the roof and began to sand off a corner. "Well?" Shin extended his senses as far as they would go. The Aristocratic Quarter, wasn't that what it was called? The Tao Base floated above, majestic for a first sight, but he had to concentrate.

Sleeping thoughts hummed throughout the city, all of them unfamiliar. Not a single voice resembled the one he searched for.

_I should've stayed in the cavern… _It had been too much of a risk coming out here. He had to go back.

"…Hello?" He snapped back to the voice in front of him. Well, in front and a bit below.

"What is the quickest way out of here?" The demon waved at the gates.

"Right out the front door, of course."

"I mean—without being seen."

"Who cares about not being seen when you're as fierce-looking as you are? Anyone who sees you isn't going to stand and fight." _While all the imps nowadays are stuck looking like cutesy babies… _Shin looked away, trying to look unaffected. He was… frightening? Hideous, perhaps. Would Waka, as brave as he seemed, fear him? Shin didn't want anyone to feel that way, especially not because of him.

He took the same way out as he had gone in. No one saw him, and that was the most relief he could get.

_Long claws, dark markings, fleeing from the light, lurking in shadows, with an urge to kill anyone in sight. I'm a monster_. At least—he knew—Obieta wasn't afraid.


	42. Conjunction

**Summary: The city of the Moon is attacked, setting off a chain of events that reach far beyond its source. One of the survivors journeys across Nippon, trying to stop what his people have released.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Okami, it belongs to Capcom and Clover. Okamiden also belongs to Capcom.**

**Last chapter, Shin and Obieta arrived at Ryoshima, and Shin was a rebel and snuck out. But he wasn't that much of a rebel, so he promptly came back. Also, the wind is piggybacking on Chibiterasu under the guise of a brush god.**

**Sorry for the probable decrease of quality. Also, due to life events, the next chapter to be posted will either be a day or two early, or one week late. Hopefully the earlier one.**

* * *

It was already dark when I opened my eyes. I uncurled and stood up, yawning.

"Sorry. I didn't want to wake you." I looked over, and wondered how long Shin had been sitting there. "Not very long. There's still plenty of time."

_Okay_… I walked over to look up through the entrance hole. So high up... _How do we get out…?_

"Can I…?" Shin volunteered his height. I nodded, but still tensed when I felt myself being lifted up. This wasn't really the first time, though—that would be Ninetails, when he had carried me to safety... I got a grip onto the edge and started to pull myself out. Thinking of Ninetails made me sad. I promised silently that I would find something, some way, to help him like he had helped me.

A bright light flashed through the sky, and I dove for cover as the ground shook again. I heard a cry from down in the cavern, and the shaking stopped hardly after the instant it began. Hesitantly, I came out from behind my shelter—a skinny little tree that honestly wasn't much protection at all. As I drew closer, Shin pulled himself out of the hole and sat on the side, rubbing his arm.

_Another earthquake,_ I thought. _But that flash…_

"Flash?" He frowned, closing his eyes for a moment. I hadn't seen much, just a bright light streak through the sky, like some star had come to life and charged at the earth. It had been in the direction of the coast where we were going… "I don't know…"

Shin was still holding his arm, so I asked about it.

"Oh. I fell on some of the flowers… They stung." He let me see, and I flinched back at the sight of red-flecked skin. "…What?" He looked, and seemed puzzled. "That's not blood. It's only on the black lines." But whatever injury the flowers had given him didn't seem as bad as it seemed at first glance, only little patches that were already healing and fading. I hoped it wasn't some version of what Ninetails had done—not like what I had, like a bad version that weakened instead of strengthened. I tried to muffle my worries. After all, I'd be home soon...

Shin sensed my restlessness, and so we began to walk. There were only the sounds of the wind through the plants' leaves and the waves drawing closer to accompany our footsteps. Within moments, I could look out at the sea. I felt a flutter of happiness at the familiar sight, even with the addition of a large boat—that was what they were called, I thought, boats—sticking out of the water. It reminded me of the giant bug-corpse, except that Yomigami had told me boats weren't alive. They moved like how driftwood moved, but they were somehow controlled from the inside… Out of habit, I avoided the sand as much as possible as we moved along the beach, staying on the grassy outskirts. Shin seemed to have the same feelings about sand, or at least his path said so.

Unfortunately, we did have to walk across a small sandy patch, and then we were at a crossroads. To the left was a stone pathway, leading out into the water. I didn't remember walking on one of those, so… I walked to the right, then found to my frustration that there were now two new paths. There seemed to be some sort of wood—dead—stuck into the ground, with words written on it that I couldn't read. I stepped forward, towards the gate in front of me.

"Not that way." Shin spoke quickly. "That's the city." Just like the city's pathway, there was another gate. The gate was made of light sticks—maybe once plants-, tied together, and showed no passage through. "There are other—others who want to get through this gate." I looked it up and down, then shrugged and lifted my tails. We walked over easily, crawling over the top, and then the path was clear from there. I picked up my pace. The stars were slipping into their remembered places. I could almost see the islands…

I stopped. The very earth had cracked apart the coast so much that I hardly recognized it. A new mountain of rock's rubble rose to one side. But more striking than that, more than even the shifted terrain, was the hole. This was where that flash, wherever it was, had landed. The ground had broken around it, and beneath was something… Some surface that I could not describe.

"That's…" Shin seemed to struggle for words, and I began to wish I could understand him as easily as he understood me. "Of course. It was underground…" He knew what this was? He'd been here before? "I… I remember being here. There was something that I was looking for… I didn't know this was here, though."

"Should we go in?" We were close to home, but now that we were I could wait a little longer. I wasn't the only one looking for something. We went down the path, while I looked out at the coastline. None of the islands had changed. I could still see the tower in the distance, light stone against the night sky. I promised myself that we wouldn't be long, that I'd be back in the safety of my home before sunrise. When we reached the hole, somehow lit from the inside with blue streaks of light, Shin jumped in without hesitation. I followed.

The caverns inside were strange. Their walls sloped in sharp corners, like buildings, while tendrils—roots, Shin told me—snaked over equally sharp-cornered lines of light.

"Aren't the lights supposed to be brighter than this?" Shin asked in the near-darkness. Not that either of us minded much, of course. "Perhaps the power is drained…" I looked around the room. An opening on the left side, with parts on each side of it that seemed like markings of a different color. A path going forward… and to the right, only wall and a root-covered chasm. I glanced up at Shin, hoping he'd have some idea of where to go. He paused, thinking about it for a moment. "Left…?" We squeezed through the crevice into a tunnel, turned and went through another crevice, and then passed around a chasm with only a narrow walkway. Just before we were about to turn into the next room, he stopped and motioned for me to stay back.

"What is it?"

"Someone's here." Underground? Alive? I couldn't help peeking around the corner. All there was to see was another hole in the ceiling and below that, some sort of big pointy rock. "Inside there."

"Someone you know?" Shin shook his head. "They're not coming out, though…" We came out from behind the corner and walked past as quietly as we could. I kept looking back at that strange object, wondering how such a solid-looking surface could hold someone inside, or how that someone would get out.

I found out very quickly. A sharp hiss came from the object, and I scampered to join Shin behind another corner. A section of it slid open, but I couldn't see the inside from where I was. As we watched, a humanlike figure stepped out of the object.

_Human_. I retreated out of sight, looking away before the impulse to harm became too much. Even though Shin had only taken the briefest glance, he appeared more shaken than me.

"I know him. Somehow, I know him. He's…" He hesitated, again struggling for words. "Part of me says he is my son." I risked another look at the figure. Smaller. Young. Odd hair, closer in shade to Shin's than to other humans I had seen. But… in truth, hardly similar to anyone I'd seen. Shin buried his head in his hands. "Why does he look so much like Waka? What is going on?" Wait, no. I'd seen that particular shade once before.

_Ninetails…?_ That had been the same color as his fur, I knew it. As I watched, that mysterious figure simply looked upwards and floated through the hole like something not of this world. I wasn't sure if I wanted to follow.

"There's something else in here. It drew me last time…" Shin seemed to have recovered from the shock that the figure had brought him. So we moved on, into a circular chamber with more hole than floor. We walked carefully on the paths, going all the way around the chamber until we reached a stairway down. Shin looked over the stairway and sighed. "I guess forward would have been a better choice. It certainly would've been quicker." Indeed, the path beside the staircase opened up to the room where we had entered. I shrugged. At least we were here now.

We descended further into the strange cavern. Once we came out of the stairway, there were two paths, roughly speaking. One was directly in front of us. The other was another circular chamber. Remembering last time, Shin decided we should just go forward. Then we stopped at another fork.

"Can't you feel that?" Huh? I concentrated, trying to figure out anything different about this part. Maybe a faint humming, but maybe that was just the walls. "We need to go left. I know it." We turned, and once we had crossed into that room he immediately ran to the statue within it. I walked over, looking from it to him and back.

"What is it?" He placed his hands on the base of the statue, and then the room was gone. The surroundings were replaced by clouds, drifting in a new wind around us. We were floating, or standing on something that had substance but could not be seen. Looking down made me a bit nervous; it was like standing at the top of the tower, except there wasn't a tower. Then I looked up. "What—?" A large creature with smooth white skin soared over our heads like Yomigami. _Red markings._ A brush god. I was going to meet another brush god. And I felt like a kitten again, free of all that I had experienced.

"Greetings, Shin, origin of us all." Shin just stood there, stunned. The creature turned to me, its eyes as kind as Yomigami's. "And greetings to you, young one." I tried to remember the proper way of greeting, but I just fumbled into what I hoped looked like a bow. I swear that the creature chuckled. "I am Kyokugami, brush god of Magnetism. But I know that is not why you are here." Shin looked down.

"I wish to remember what I have lost. Yours is the only memory I lack."

"And it shall be returned to you." Kyokugami moved in midair, almost like a fish. "I hold your feelings of Ark, but also a secret that many would wish to possess. Be careful it does not fall into the wrong hands." The creature's forehead began to glow. "My descendants shall take my place, to pass on my power to the other." The glow became a symbol, and that symbol drifted into Shin's body. For a moment, the markings on his skin glowed, and they looked almost red. Then the room returned, and we were standing again in front of the statue. Now I could see that it was a carving of Kyokugami. Who had carved it, though? Or had it somehow been created without that need? I knew so little about brush gods, despite being a child of one. Shin was staring at the statue still, seeming disturbed.

"Did you see what happened to him? To Kyokugami?" He took an unsteady breath. "His eyes… They were so empty… I'm so sorry…" Sorry? Why? Hadn't something good just happened? "I… I'll tell you everything when we reach safety." Shin looked miserable as we headed back through the tunnels.

He stopped suddenly after we'd gone up the stairs.

"I just realized. I have my memories back, I have most of my power, but I still don't even have a brush." Shin laughed a little, and that seemed to cheer him up, so I laughed with him.


	43. Meteoroid

**Summary: The city of the Moon is attacked, setting off a chain of events that reach far beyond its source. One of the survivors journeys across Nippon, trying to stop what his people have released.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Okami, it belongs to Capcom and Clover. Okamiden also belongs to Capcom.**

**Last chapter, Obieta and Shin explore the Underground Ruins in a noncanonical fashion, nearly run into Kurow, and meet Kyokugami who gives Shin a package of important information. Of course, that metaphorical package won't be opened this week, so…**

**Luckily, this chapter is early! The next one, however, may unfortunately be late. It's not confirmed, though, but I thought I'd give a warning just in case.**

* * *

On our way out, we stopped at the mysterious object and the hole above it. Through the hole, I could see a star-specked night sky. We still had time. I looked at the object again, seeing the rubble around it.

_How did this get here? Did it fall through? _The rubble looked a bit like the earth I could see ringing the hole... Shin approached the object, examining its surface. The section that had been open before was now smoothly sealed; I could hardly see an outline of where it was.

"I think this was the flash you saw." This had fallen from the sky? Then… where was that human from? …Were they actually what could be considered human? "This might sound ridiculous to you, but there were once humanlike people who lived on the Moon."

_What... _Life on that distant, shining circle? It seemed the world was much bigger than I could even imagine. Bigger than the lands I'd seen, bigger than the ocean… Maybe even those tiny sparkles of starlight had life... I decided it would be better to put that piece of information away and examine it when my mind had expanded enough to fit that much world. Meanwhile, Shin was staring off at the sky with a distant look, a small smile on his face.

"I met them." Then that smile turned to a frown. He tried to clear the emotion from his face, beginning to find footholds along the object's surface. "Let's go. There won't be much time left before sunrise." I painted a pathway up, and climbed out through the hole, Shin helping me up. Outside, there was no sign of that mysterious figure. I half-wondered if they had simply drifted back to wherever they had come from.

We walked to the edge of the shoreline, looking out towards the tower across the water. I still couldn't swim, but I could cross it. I focused, drawing the most circular shape I could on the water. To my happiness, a lilypad appeared on the first try… far across the water, where we couldn't reach it. I just tried again, trying to make it as close to the shore as possible. It appeared in front of us, glowing. We both uneasily stepped onto it, but despite the sloshing and the water threatening to spill over our feet, I felt calm. The glow of the lilypad was comforting. I drew another one a short jump away. Carefully, I jumped over to it, and Shin followed. The plant buckled, but didn't sink. I kept painting them, one at a time, and we slowly made our way to the tower.

* * *

We made it just in time, just before the stinging light of the sun had risen enough to become too painful, climbing onto the island and into the weave of plants covering its base. I sighed at the cool shade, then looked back out at the lightening sea. The last lilypad winked out. I turned to go further into the hollow, resting against a cold, moss-covered stone.

_We just crossed that._ Had we really been at that faraway shoreline just a little while ago? And I'd helped. I'd made those lilypads. I wondered what Mama would think. Would she be proud? I could almost picture the happiness in her eyes… _But she's not here._ The hollow suddenly seemed so empty. And it was completely, eerily silent. What had happened to the messenger?

"I'm going to go up." Shin looked up briefly from his place leaning against a moss-covered stone, expressionless. I'd never actually been to the bottom of the tower—the only time I had been close, everything had been dark and changed… "I'll come back if I find something."

Shin looked like he wanted to say something, but didn't. So I set off, alone, to re-explore my home.

* * *

Shin looked down and sighed.

"Obieta, I'm so sorry…" Her mother was gone. She was a husk, just like all of the other brush gods were now. "It's my fault…" He had chosen to go through, to return to life. He remembered it clearly; he remembered everything now, even if it was a blur of half-closed pathways. And the cost for that memory…

_Thirteen brush powers, of which I hold one. There are three gods of Greensprout, though, so there are actually fifteen of us,_ one voice remembered. Fifteen lives, with their own memories, their own voices and experiences. He'd taken all of that away from them. And now, it was sixteen. The last bit of memory was still sitting in a corner of his mind, waiting to be found and remembered. He wasn't sure he wanted to find it. It would be another life he wouldn't be able to forget or give back.

_But even if I can't give her mother's life back, maybe I can give her something…_ The personalities of those sixteen still lingered… Shin closed his eyes and tentatively, fearfully, slipped into the blackness of his own mind. It reminded him of the darkness, of that place where he had been trapped, where he had forgotten himself. But now it was brimming with potential, with voices and memories and sensations just beneath the surface. _What was her name…?_ He tried to recall if Obieta had ever mentioned that, ever even thought it.

_My daughter… My kitten…_ With that voice, sadness filled him—sadness and regret. _I am Kabegami, brush god of Catwalk,_ the voice murmured, shifting from one memory to another. She hadn't wanted to leave. She had to, though, for the safety of her kitten and all the residents of the tower. She heard the darkness, the danger, the evil that lurked in the world below… But as quickly as those feelings appeared, they were drifting away again. Shin reached out, trying to grasp onto them.

_Kabegami_. That was her name. He latched onto that, almost calling out and hoping that some voice in his head would respond. _Are you there? _There was a murmur. There was something. He delved deeper.

_Where am I? Is this…_ He could feel sensations that he knew were not around him. There was a fresh, free wind blowing through fur that was and wasn't his. Leaves were whispering. Shin opened his eyes—were they even his now?—and found himself somewhere else.

_The Celestial Plain. _A land of life stretched out before his eyes. The Plain was not destroyed, not anything like his last memories of it. It was healed. It was new again.

_This is the place Yomigami always told stories about…_ He had visited them at the tower, telling her kitten stories of a mysterious celestial plane. Shin remembered it now as clearly as Kabegami had seen it.

…_How am I here?_ He urged his head to look around. The body he was occupying did not respond. _Kabegami is here._ The light blurry line of blobs in his vision suddenly began to focus into shapes. The other brush gods. They were all in a circle. All of them that he could see were glassy-eyed. As Shin looked, he found he didn't know their names. Or rather, Kabegami didn't, except for one in the corner of his vision. The dragon coiled up on the grass, eyes dull, was Yomigami. Their minds, every mind around them, was perfectly silent, to Kabegami's relief. She had always wished that the voices would leave her mind, but now she had to wonder what had happened to them... Shin knew. He had his hearing, and so had robbed her of hers.

There was motion in the corner of his eye. Something of a different shade than the surroundings. He managed to move his head, slowly and awkwardly. Not something. Someone. The person stepped around the brush gods, coming closer. He blinked.

_Who is that?_ Kabegami's voice came to his mind, puzzled. He blinked again, deliberately. The person was approaching him now, looking straight into his eyes...

_Wait. _Shin didn't care if Kabegami didn't know that face. He knew who it was. _Why is he here?_

"Waka…?"


	44. Meteor

**Summary: The city of the Moon is attacked, setting off a chain of events that reach far beyond its source. One of the survivors journeys across Nippon, trying to stop what his people have released.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Okami, it belongs to Capcom and Clover. Okamiden also belongs to Capcom.**

**Last chapter, Obieta and Shin lilypadded over to Catcall Tower, where Obieta wandered off. Shin, meanwhile, manages to possess Kabegami's body and gets a brief glimpse of… Waka!**

* * *

When I came back into the room Shin's eyes snapped open. He looked around, seeming dazed for a moment. I wondered if there was something wrong. It seemed like every evening he was oversleeping—eyes closed, unresponsive.

"Shin?" He raised his head a bit, tilting to look at me.

"Yes?"

"It's nighttime. Do you want to come up and help me look for the messenger?" We'd learned quickly and somewhat painfully that staying on the tower at daytime wasn't an option. But I kept going up every night, hoping to find some trace of Mama or the messenger. Anything about what had happened to them. I'd tried to ask the other cats—at least they were still there—but they just ran away from us. It was probably our markings. They still startled me sometimes. But it didn't make me feel any better, knowing that others were afraid. "…Shin?" He blinked for a moment—was he dozing off?—then shook his head.

"Sorry. Maybe another time." I made my worried thoughts as clear as I could, wondering if he was all right. "Don't worry about me… I'm fine." So I nodded and turned in the tower's direction. I heard Shin take a breath, like he was about to say something. I waited. "…Never mind. I'll tell you about it later." Curious, but knowing he probably wouldn't say anything more, I walked out of the room. I just hoped that whatever was going on wasn't a sickness of any sort. Or some side effect of the markings. Or...

_He'll tell me when he's ready._ Until then, there wasn't much point worrying about what it could be. I started to walk up the tower's side, focusing only on my footsteps—more out of habit than nervousness. As I climbed higher, passing under what seemed like arches of clouds, my thoughts started to become a bit bolder. What if I jumped? I was sure that the shine could catch me, and it could be a faster way… I broke into a run instead; every time I tried to jump I just fell back a few steps. Falling like that wasn't as terrifying as it used to be, or as I used to think it was. I knew that before I had fallen on that fateful night, I would have never dared to even consider jumping.

I hopped onto the top easily, despite the odd angle, and looked back out at the coast. Very little had changed from the last time—well, since the last time things had been normal. The seas were calm again, washing gently against the coast without a Water Dragon around to churn them. The stars were twinkling brightly, even though my mother's were not among them. I tried to keep my tail held high, remembering all of those good times with her and Yomigami, times when I hardly had a care in my little coast of a world, but I couldn't muster any joy. I just couldn't summon back those feelings; I just felt unease, exposed, and I couldn't explain why. This was my home. But it didn't really feel like home anymore. It felt empty, without my mother or the other cats around. There was something else, too…

It wasn't the place that had changed, though. I was just seeing it again through changed eyes, with a changed mind. This place had been my home once, but I wasn't that kitten anymore.

_I'm hungry._ The time for reflection could wait a bit. I bent over and managed to wriggle that itchy Astral Pouch off of my neck and onto the stone. I pawed through the many fish-sparkles inside—I'd busied myself with catching them every morning before I went to sleep. Nudging one out, I started to carefully cut it open; I still hadn't figured out the best way, but I felt I was getting closer. I began to nibble on the meat. The taste was almost the same as I remembered, from back when I had gotten every meal from the other cats without knowing or caring where it had come from.

Content to eat alone atop the tower that once was my home, I stared out at the waves, scenting the sea breeze and remembering the nights of a younger time.

* * *

As soon as Obieta disappeared around the pillars, Shin closed his eyes again and started to drift back into his mind. He remembered the brief conversation he'd had with Waka, the first in what seemed like innumerable years…

_How are… you here?_

_I can't get out of this place. The Ark_—Shin remembered Kyokugami, but had pushed that away—…_I piloted it here, but it has no power left._ Then Waka had seemed puzzled—Kabegami hadn't recognized him, and Shin figured that Waka didn't recognize her appearance either. It had been a little disorienting to remember that he was right there, but at the same time completely anonymous. _…What was your name?_

_I…_ But before Kabegami and Shin could figure out what to say, all of his senses has cut out. He'd kept trying to contact Waka since then, but hadn't had much luck; there were memories and, at best, occasional snippets of sight or sound. He still avoided Kyokugami's memories. He didn't want those to divert his attention—after all, Kyokugami wasn't on the Plain. All Shin knew was that at least fourteen of the brush gods were there, and that Waka was trapped. He tried to relax. There had been no sign that Waka was in any immediate danger. But he was trapped there… up on that now-faraway Plain…

_To help him, I need to find a brush god who can fly…_ Shin began to focus his thoughts on flight, trying to visualize flying and letting recalled details fill themselves in. Feathers rippling in the wind. A city below… Sei'An City. That was the city he'd just visited, Shin realized, but from above and in broad daylight. And someone was gliding beside him… _Waka?_ The brush god's voice—Moegami, that was his name—grew audible.

_Obnoxious,_ Moegami grumbled. _Gets on my nerves._

_Really?_ Shin couldn't imagine Waka acting in such a manner, but what the brush god's memories showed surprised him. Was that still the person he knew, who acted so brazen, so taunting? He had no idea what Waka could have been thinking… Was this still a good idea, for someone Shin no longer knew? _But… I still want to help him._ That would be the only way to find out any context, anyway.

_I agree._ Moegami had overheard his thoughts on the situation. _He may be insufferable at times at times, but he is a skilled warrior. I… _The brush god's voice trailed off, sounding grudging.

_I value his presence,_ Shin finished. Moegami's presence was retreating, and he reached after it. But where was that voice and where was his own? The division was beginning to blur.

The wind was rustling through his feathers, and he opened his eyes. This was the Plain; Shin recognized it immediately. He lifted his head, looking around at the circle of brush gods. Thirteen others. He knew their names. All of their names. He stepped out of the circle, orienting himself.

_The edge is that way…_ He began to step—rather slowly; Moegami's legs didn't lend themselves much to speed—in that direction, hoping that he would stumble upon Waka somewhere along the way.

The air around the edge was dark, almost forming its pathway into Yomi—Shin remembered that pathway, and it scared him now more than ever. Because Waka was standing there by the edge, looking out into the abyss. Shin had an impulse to run towards him, trying not to stumble as he rustled through the plants. Waka turned and started. Shin noted that he didn't have his headdress on; if he remembered correctly, that had been the way he could fly a little.

"Moegami?" This time, speech came easily, naturally.

"I can get you out of here." Waka's expression was unreadable. Shin again lamented the other brush gods' inability to hear minds. He just began to walk along the edge, towards where it could lead to open sky. "Hurry. I don't know how long I can stay like this." Waka nodded, now calm, and Shin began to see a bit of the person they both remembered—the one who, in the face of danger, could immediately focus on what needed to be done. The darkness faded soon enough, though each passing moment felt like it took far too long. He spread out his wings. "Jump on." Just as he felt the weight on his back, and before Shin could think enough to hesitate, Moegami dove and took flight.

When Shin recovered from internally panicking, he found that he had shifted into a gentle gliding descent, spiraling downwards.

"Who would've thought you would ever be giving out free rides?" He could tell even without looking that Waka was grinning.

"If you'd prefer, I could drop you off now," Moegami offered. Shin wanted to protest, or at least take back the voice, but he sensed that the brush god didn't mean it. So he just let him take control of his body, steering their flight.

"...Your hair looks different."

"Hm...?" Waka seemed a little surprised. "Oh, it's a Moon Tribe way." Then they both fell into silence, except for the flutter of wind through Moegami's feathers.

_Why did you say that? I have a reputation to uphold..._ He started to see the details of tall slopes come into view, and soon after that, the network of paths.

_Where is that…?_ Shin thought he recognized it. Or, another voice recognized it. Different voices were starting to fade in and out, and his vision danced with spots… He felt a nudge, and when his eyes saw clearly for a moment he saw the ground spinning, getting closer. They were diving. _Moegami?_ Moegami was gone. No one was guiding him. They were going to crash. Shin tried to force the wings out, but the air just rushed right past them all the same. He could see flickers of movement—people, waking as the sun rose—darting away from the center of his vision.

The ground rushed towards him, and he remembered watching it flip away, feeling shocks of pain faintly along his spine. His head—and view—dropped from the sky to along the grassy ground. Waka was beginning to move away, lifting aside his wings. Unharmed.

_Good… _His vision was spotting again, this time beginning to cut out more and more.

"Thank… You… right?" His hearing cleared for a minute. He had to focus on that voice. "Moegami? Can you hear me?"

"I am Moegami, but I am not just him." Shin mumbled. "Waka… I'm at the tower… On an island..." It was getting difficult to concentrate. "I'll find—You will—We'll see each other again… Don't worry..."

"Wait! Who are—"

Then there was only the quiet ripple of the waves, and the faint hints of sunlight filtering in through the leaves.

_He's safe…_ Shin drifted away from consciousness without protest. No longer held back, those last untouched memories—Ark's memories, Kyokugami's memories—began to trickle in.


	45. Accretion

**Summary: The city of the Moon is attacked, setting off a chain of events that reach far beyond its source. One of the survivors journeys across Nippon, trying to stop what his people have released.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Okami, it belongs to Capcom and Clover. Okamiden also belongs to Capcom.**

**Last chapter, Obieta reflects, while Shin and Moegami team up to get Waka off of the Plain. Fortunately, they succeed. Unfortunately, they crash, and Waka is probably at least 10% more confused as to his rescuer's identity.**

* * *

When I opened my eyes, the last of the sunlight was fading into the dimness. Shin was already wide awake, almost fidgety. I stood up immediately, blinking away drowsiness. He'd regained his energy; that was good. Now would he tell me what had been going on?

"That's exactly what I wanted to talk to you about." He took a breath. "Where do I start…? I've made contact with the brush gods." What? How? Which ones? Had he seen Mama? Yomigami? What had he found out? "…Please, slow down." I couldn't. I wanted to know anything he might have found out. Was that why he had been so sleepy lately? "Well, I wasn't sleeping, exactly. To make contact, I needed to concentrate… It would look like sleeping, I suppose." I nodded quickly, hoping he would continue. "It's difficult to explain."

"What is?"

"There are things about this situation that…" He hesitated. "… I'm not like the other brush gods. I'm not exactly one of them." Well, judging by the black markings, of course there were differences. Theirs were all red. But we'd both been changed, so of course he was a little different from them. "It's more than that. Do you remember when we first met?" I nodded. "Before I awoke at the foot of that tree, I was dead." I could only blink in response. It was incomprehensible to me. Someone who had gone into the land of death, but he was alive and sitting in front of me. How? Was there some way that others could be brought back, too? "I don't know. I don't even know how much time has passed between then and before. But..." He paused, as though searching for a word. "…something—something brought me back. And when that happened, it affected the brush gods. It left them… empty."

_That was why he was so upset at the ruins. B_ecause somehow, Kyokugami, the brush god who hadn't been affected, now was. But then all of my calmness was replaced by dread. _Mama…_ That had happened to her, too, hadn't it? She was empty. She was gone. _But how is that possible? _What was it about Shin's life that could have such an impact on all of the other brush gods?

"I don't know. We are... related in some way. When I came back, I got their memories—or rather, our memories. It's difficult to tell whose they are anymore. They had some of mine, and now I have theirs as well." I blinked. For a second, wild emotions came over me again. It had taken their memories. Their essences, even. What had it done to them? What had he done to my mother?

_It wasn't his fault._ _He didn't want it to happen either._ It was like the strange rages that had come with our markings—uncontrollable. I hesitated, turning over his words again. "So… You remember everything they remembered?" Everything my mother had known? Or Yomigami? Or even Ninetails? …Was Ninetails a brush god? I still wasn't sure.

"Sort of. They're—they're not dead. Their personalities are still there. The knowledge is all there. I just... can't recall it very easily. " It was strange to think about. So he had—how many brush gods were there again? What had my mother said? Was it thirteen, or was that the number for something else? I couldn't remember. But—a bunch of different minds, all of them drifting around inside his mind. Drifting like lilypads on the sea? Or crammed in like the fish-meat underneath its skin? Or little fragments, like sparkles inside the Astral Pouch? There wasn't an easy way to comprehend it. "At first, I was just trying to recall them. I was trying to remember anything I could about—about Kabegami." I tried to keep myself calm, to not burst into frantic questioning again.

"What did you find?" Shin glanced around nervously. _It's not good news, is it…_

"I found something else. It was something in Kyokugami's knowledge…" A brief breeze fluttered through the leaves, and only when it had faded did he begin to speak again. "There is a way to return someone to life."

_It's possible…_ We could bring Ninetails back, and maybe Mama, too. "How?"

"There is a shrine. To revive someone, an item that resonates with their soul must be brought there. Somehow, the combination of the shrine and the item will restore their body." Shin frowned. "Even Kyokugami had some difficulty understanding the details. Such an item seems to be one that was kept for a long time…" If Kyokugami hadn't understood the knowledge, and neither did Shin… Where had it come from? "I think… I overheard something. But in any case, everyone who knows of this knows that the knowledge must be kept secret. They knew there are forces out there that would desire this shrine greatly." I began to think, not about whatever could threaten us, but what we could use our new knowledge for.

"Do you think it could bring my mother back?" She was empty, if what Shin said was true, but maybe the shrine could fix her. Maybe it could bring her mind, her soul, back into her body.

"I'm not sure. If we were to try, though, her body would probably need to be at the shrine…" And, of course, we'd need to figure out where this shrine was…

_I hope that is something Shin can remember…_ Shin spoke in a hushed, hurried voice.

"I know where it is. And I know where your mother is." I waited. "It's in Kamiki Village." I groaned quietly. All the way back there… And how had we missed it? In all fairness, we wouldn't have known a thing about it back then. "And Kabegami's body is on the Celestial Plain."

* * *

It was nighttime when Waka finished scouting the surroundings and returned to where Moegami's body lay. Asking the people nearby had confirmed what he had already supposed—he was in Taka Pass. The paths to the City Checkpoint and to Agata Forest were both blocked by rockfalls. So, he added to his earlier statement, he wasn't just in Taka Pass—he was stuck in Taka Pass.

He couldn't keep in the urge to glance around warily at the dark surroundings. Night had fallen. Who knew what demons still lurked in those shadows, even after Yami's defeat…

_I need to find shelter._ There was a village here, and as Waka looked he could see that the shadowed path sloping up to Kusa Village was still unblocked. He looked down again at the limp body of the brush god, still a near-glowing white in the darkness. Moegami was still unconscious. Perhaps the village had someone who could help him recover… Gathering the brush god into his arms as best as he could, Waka set off along the pathway.

Absently, his mind wandered off to old places, seeing the grass around his feet lit by cloud-filtered moonlight. A half moon, perhaps? Or a quarter? The moonlight reminded him again of that strange vision encounter; he hadn't thought on it or on visions since it had occurred.

_Tsukuyomi… What is going on?_ Had that truly been her? Had they really left her there, alive? There were things, though, Waka knew, that only a few knew about their leader. _But… she sounded as though her words were a threat. Pray I do not find you, she said..._ Why would she threaten her people? The Moon above almost seemed again like an eye, watching his every move.

There wasn't too much distance left between him and the village entrance. He wanted to hurry, out of the sight of the watching Moon and the demons of darkness, but Waka kept his pace constant. He didn't want to jostle Moegami and injure him further. So he climbed up the mountain path slowly, every instinct in him wanting to bolt. The long braid of hair weighed on his neck as he walked, keeping an even pace.

_Perhaps I should cut it,_ Waka thought, and immediately found surprise in thinking such. He wasn't on the Moon anymore, but it was tradition that it be kept long, and only trimmed in a certain way… Well, to follow tradition on that matter would require technology far beyond his reach. But perhaps it was time to let go of that. _It'll just be one thing. Just that one thing. It'll be more convenient that way._ The village was drawing closer. He could see a few houses' windows still lit, as Moegami's body began to grow heavy.

The Moon still stared down, almost disapprovingly, but Waka tried to believe that it was too far away to hold sway over the events of the earth.

* * *

Extra Scene-

Sugawara felt the darkness leave what form he still had, and could see the world of life clearly for the first time in what seemed like years. He knew immediately that he was incorporeal, and that this time in the mortal realm was now only borrowed. But for a second there was only confusion. He was above Planet-Base 1, but the earth covering it had been shattered away, revealing the old metal for all to see. He remembered, in his early years, when Daidarabotchi had been under construction in that very base. It had been one of the most impressive defense technologies of its age, built to combat any threats from the then-undiscovered lands of the planet. It had remained unused, rusting away until—until today, where it seemed to have nearly emerged. But who was that in front of him…? A puppy that reminded him somehow of Amaterasu. Of course. Only a brush god's power could have purged that darkness.

"Ah, Child of the Sun… I am grateful to you. You have restored my spirit and given me peace." Indeed, Sugawara did feel… purified. The sadness and anger and disappointment that he remembering festering in him since the days when the sickness had taken him were gone. That sickness… If there had been Moon Tribe medical technology around, he might have lived. And yet, it had seemed as though some force had taken hold of him, dragging him away from life, into the darkness… And now he was healed.

"Yo, Mr Sugawara!" Sugawara noticed the boy standing next to that puppy, and had to struggle to maintain a peaceful expression. He had never expected to see that another time. The one whose fate they had planned and planned, for its potential was the greatest danger that the Moon could ever know. "I think we can send you off in style." ...Well, the acclimatization speech programs hadn't been as much of a success as he'd hoped. But Sugawara knew now, merely by its being here, that its fate was now in place. The pendant's message was already queued to activate—the timing would be perfect. The wave of flower petals given by the puppy's brush also stirred in him a wave of relief.

"Thank you…" It would not become what it had potential to be: the host for the spirit of the most powerful foe in the history of the Moon's civilization. "My spirit may now move to its final resting place." The fearsome Crow-Mother, who had ruled the Moon before Tsukuyomi's arrival, would never rise again. They had all heard the stories of that primordial time. The return of Amanozako would have heralded a new era of chaos. But now that fate had been averted.

"Hey, Mister…" Sugawara looked at the pendant it was holding out, giving an expression as though he had not noticed it before. He slipped easily into conversation, as empty as those of the court where he had spent his last years.

"Friendship is the most important thing… even if those friends let you down from time to time." He spoke to the puppy as well. He knew what would happen. Just a little encouragement, and that path of fate would take its course, and the power of this vessel would only bring good. Sugawara felt his form begin to fade; he drifted upwards.

_Tsukuyomi… I did it. I did what you would have wanted._ There was only light, bright and welcoming, and he felt himself drawing closer. _This is my legacy, for what is left of us... _And with that, Sugawara let go, and welcomed the emptiness as everything else faded away.


	46. Corona

**Summary: The city of the Moon is attacked, setting off a chain of events that reach far beyond its source. One of the survivors journeys across Nippon, trying to stop what his people have released.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Okami, it belongs to Capcom and Clover. Okamiden also belongs to Capcom.**

**Last chapter, we ****finally**** get some idea of what's going on with this shrine thing… which is going to be coming up quite a bit more in future chapters. Meanwhile, Waka is stuck in Taka Pass, and Sugawara's arc—and life—reached a conclusion.**

* * *

**What—what's happening?** Kurow's body trembled, dark energy rippling over his skin. **No… I can't… I can't control this body… **

"What's going on…?" Beside Chibiterasu, a young Ishaku bounced. Kurow's teeth gritted as he struggled to retake his voice.

"You have to put me down… I-if you want to kill Akuro, this is your only chance…" Kurow struggled to get the words out, as Chibiterasu's expression grew more and more horrified. "This is my destiny… My body was created to be a seal—for Akuro." That's what the pendant—his makers—had said. He shuddered, and another wave of darkness washed over him. "I can't hold Akuro inside me for long… If I die, then Akuro will die with me."

"But… You're a doll? How?" Ishaku bounced back and forth, puzzled.

"Like I said… I'm not like the rest of you…" Kurow forced a bitter smile. "I'm just a soulless copy..." Instinctively, his hand reached to take out his pendant, to feel the familiar ridges, just like when he had done so many times waiting for his rocket to land. "Hurry… Do it…" Chibiterasu whimpered and turned away, but a glowing red Ishaku blocked his path.

"No! You gotta do this!" The puppy shook his head. "I know it's tough, but you have to do it for Kurow." Chibiterasu whined again and turned back towards his friend, tears beginning to roll down his snout. Kuni hopped onto his back, and then, in a brief moment of light, armor appeared on him. He looked down at the white plating, shimmering with a light of its own.

"What's this?"

"That's Nagi's armor! Only he's supposed to be able to wear it… How did it get here?" Kuni frowned.

"This armor… It feels like it's part of me." Kuni held his sword at the ready. "Okay, Mutt… Let's finish this…" Chibiterasu growled and ran for Kurow, eyes only seeing the darkness of Akuro inside him.

It all went by in a blur. He thought he heard the sound of Kuni's sword hitting its target. There was a soft thump behind him. Chibiterasu looked back. Kurow lay there, collapsed, the swirls of darkness on him fading until they could no longer be seen. Unable to hold it back any longer, Chibiterasu ran to him, and suddenly everything around them had changed. They were back at the Moon Cave. Their friends were all there, around them. Kagu spoke first, in a tear-choked voice.

"Kurow, you fool… You knew that scholar lady was looking forward to your date…"

"Just tell her…" Kurow trailed off, and his eyes grew misty, staring far away. He grew silent and still for one terrifying moment before his gaze flickered around at them again. "Tell her I'm on a trip. A very long, long trip…" The pendant in his hand began to glow. Again the scenery around them changed, and around them was an orb of light, images swirling around them. They were memories; Chibiterasu knew that immediately, and they all heard Kurow's voice play back from those times. Kurow smiled, remembering all of the memories. _I might be a copy… But…_ His hand, weak as it was, clasped a little firmer on the pendant that remembered all of these things. _As long as I have this, I can remember… I've got a soul of my own._ "You guys… Don't cry for me. I'm just glad I had a chance to live…" For a moment he heard Akuro's howls of rage echoing in his mind.

**You think you can contain me? Your soul will never be free—** Kurow's arm fell limp, pendant slipping from his hand, and his last breath wavered in the air like a sigh. Chibiterasu nudged him, but he did not move.

A young puppy's mournful howls filled the air of the Moon Cave that night. Gathered around him, Kurow's friends wept.

* * *

A breeze of cherry blossoms swept through the village of Kamiki. Kuni looked out at the village, taking in the sight of it. It would be the last time he'd see it for a while, after all.

"What's going on, Kuni? What do you need to talk about?" He heard Susano's voice behind him.

"Dad… Mom…" He didn't turn around. "I have something I need you to let me do." Kuni took a deep breath and turned to face Kushi and Susano. "I want to find out who I am."

"What are you talking about? You're Kuni. You're my son."

"I know you rescued me from near the Moon Cave, Dad." "I wanna know what I did before you found me. I need to know who I was." "It may take a long time, but I need to know…"

"This is nonsense!" Susano exploded. "You are my son! End of story!" Kushi placed a hand on his arm.

"Susano, you can't stop him…" He huffed, shaking her hand away.

"If you're really going on this fool's errand, you are no longer Kuni! I don't care if you never come back! We are no longer father and son!" Kuni flinched.

"Dad…"

"Dear… You didn't have to say that…" Susano glared at Kushi.

"You—stay out of this!" He turned his back on them. Kuni spoke, trying to regain his resolve.

"Fine… I won't call myself Kuni anymore." He smiled to his mother, who still faced him. "Dad, Mom… Thanks for taking care of me. I won't forget you or what you did for me." As composed as he could, he walked past them and down the path. He didn't see the tears in Susano's eyes.

"When you lose everything, it's impossible to get any of it back," Susano muttered. "He doesn't know that. He doesn't understand how dangerous it'll be…" Still, Kuni walked on, stopping only to turn and face Chibiterasu when he reached the village entrance.

"Hey, Mutt… I think it's time to say goodbye." The puppy looked up at his determined expression. "I gotta make this journey myself. You understand, right?" Chibiterasu nodded. Kuni muffled a sob and buried his face in his fur. When he withdrew he turned away quickly, but stopped. "I'm sure… I'll see you again!" He ran towards the village entrance and out of sight, trying his hardest not to look back.

When Kuni stepped into Shinshu Field, all on his own, he slowed a bit. He looked up at the sky, strewn with cherry blossom petals, then took out Kurow's pendant. He smiled. He wasn't completely alone in this—he still had his friends. So he went on, beginning his search for his past.

* * *

Issun bounced excitedly as the Moon-tech saucer sped closer and closer to the floating land of the Celestial Plain.

"Y'know, Chibi, you're the spitting image of your mom." The puppy made a puzzled sound, but Issun took no notice. "I bet she'll be so happy to see you…" The Plain drew ever closer, so that the two occupants of the ship could see the grass and trees flourishing across it. "And here we are! The Celestial Plain!" Issun bounced to a few buttons, and the saucer nearly flipped over as it stuttered to a halt. As it whirred to settle on the fresh grass, the transparent top popped open, and Chibiterasu immediately bounded out. "Hey! Wait up!" The puppy stopped, sat, and looked around. Issun bounced over from the now powered-down ship. "Whew… I can't keep up with ya when you're running like that…" Chibiterasu didn't respond. "Huh? What is it, Chibi?"

_I wanna share this place with everyone… With everyone new I've found… _In a glow of light, eleven orbs of brush power swirled out from Chibiterasu's body, settling on the ground in a circle around them. The young Yomigami and Kyokugami drifted around, examining their new surroundings. The young Tachigami skittered into the bushes, and the young Nuregami peeked out of its pot. The young Gekigami and Kazegami raced off, and young Moegami fluttered to a tree. The young Tsutagami and Sakigami looked around, while the young Bakugami clustered together, squealing nervously. Chibiterasu looked at the remains of the circle he had released. _There's one missing…_ The image of a penguin materialized from the last flicker of light. It seemed to smile for a moment, then vanished like a mirage with the sudden breeze.

Chibiterasu thought he heard a soft, airy laugh sweep by, carried on the wind.

"What the…?" The puppy snapped away from the missing penguin's spot at Issun's voice. "These are the older brush gods…" The Poncle had gone through the brush, and seen the circle of vacant brush gods. Now he bounced around, examining them. "What happened to them?" Chibiterasu walked over, looking around at the circle. He still didn't know what had happened to them last time… "Let's see… Yomigami, Tachigami, Sakigami…" He glanced back at the younger brush gods as Issun continued to bounce around. At least they seemed fine, full of energy. "Hmm… Moegami's not here."

_There's someone else that isn't here, too… _Chibiterasu remembered, and suddenly felt a wave of panic. _Where's Waka?_

"Wait… So all of the brush gods—except Moegami—are here…" Issun's bounces also became more frantic. "Where's Amaterasu?"

'I'm here!' Chibiterasu barked.

"Chibi, do you have any idea where your mother is?" He barked again, more frustrated.

'I -am- Amaterasu!' Issun repeated the question. Chibiterasu put his head down, whining softly. 'I wanna know where Waka is…' But he couldn't speak… He hadn't been able to speak since he'd taken wolf form… Since that fateful day in Kamiki Village before Sakuya had awoken him… Since—since—

He couldn't remember how he had gotten there.

_Can't let it ruin things…_


	47. Perigee

**Summary: The city of the Moon is attacked, setting off a chain of events that reach far beyond its source. One of the survivors journeys across Nippon, trying to stop what his people have released.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Okami, it belongs to Capcom and Clover. Okamiden also belongs to Capcom.**

**Last chapter was basically a review of the ending to Okamiden: Kurow died, with Akuro sealed within him, Kuni left (taking Kurow's pendant with him) on a journey to find himself, and Chibiterasu went with Issun to the Plain—where they proceed to become confused at the comatose brush gods.**

**(Author's apology: The French in this chapter is courtesy of Google Translate. Also, I don't even know how to title things anymore. And while I'm apologizing, I might as well say sorry for the cliché cliffhanger at the end of this chapter.)**

* * *

_I stared out at the white clouds, watching them swirl by. Beyond them, an endless array of stars twinkled in a dark sky. The waters were still—no Water Dragon, not even waves… too still. The glassy blue surface stretched as far as I could see._

_I stepped out onto the water._

_Crackling spirals of white webbed out from my white-furred paws. I just looked up again at the sky, watching a constellation form itself. It wasn't my mother—no, it was Ninetails. The fox descended from the stars._

"_Where are you? I'm so lost without you here…" I couldn't tell which of us had spoken._

"_The beads," Ninetails rasped, "find the beads. Find my soul." The stars were gleaming, glaring beads of blue and red in the darkness. And then they were growing closer, rounder, winding and twisting like tails—_

Slowly, I opened my eyes. It was nighttime already? I glanced over at Shin—still asleep, curled up in what looked to me like a very uncomfortable position—but to his body it was probably comfortable. I blinked, stood up and stretched, trying to wake myself up. And normally, any remnants of my sleeping imaginings would wash away with my sleepiness like sand-marks in the tide. Sometimes I could remember little bits, images beyond my understanding; towering humans with shining armored skin like insects, creatures as monstrous as the Water Dragon, strange-looking humans... And this time, as a strange whispery breeze trickled through the hollow, this dream stayed with me.

_The beads._ Yes, the beads… Vaguely, I recalled the red beads that had looped around one of his tails. Had those always been there, or had they disappeared at some point? If they had always been there, then… If I could find those beads, if I could get them to the shrine... I remembered what else Ninetails had said. Save my soul, he'd said. Had he known…?

Shin stirred, and the air was still and empty again. I blinked a few times, flicking my ears. What exactly had just happened there? It had almost been like a voice speaking into my mind... I tried not to shiver.

"Obieta…? You're up already?" I nodded. I didn't mention whatever had occurred to me this morning—it was probably nothing, just some tired disorientation. But I did think… what if those beads were still around? What if they could help get Ninetails back? Shin didn't say anything for a few moments, then shrugged. "I'll try to make contact with Kabegami. Maybe I'll find something." He closed his eyes in concentration.

Almost a moon had passed since Shin had told me about the shrine, but we hadn't made much progress since then. My mother was still stuck on the Celestial Plain… And from what he had told me, it was very high up, and—unlike the tower—there wasn't any easy way up or down. All we could do was think about possibilities, things we would do after we could somehow solve that large immediate problem.

_I'm going outside._ I turned and headed out of the thicket. There was still the barest glow of sunlight left on the horizon. Perhaps there would still be some fish around to catch.

* * *

Shin heard Obieta's mind-voice, now focused entirely on watching the dark water outside for a flicker of movement, fade away. He retreated into the silence, into his mind, even pushing away the ponderings of beads—a subject for another time. Right now, he had to focus. Find Kabegami's voice. He'd tried to make contact with Moegami, with Waka, but each time there was only a sense of pain. Moegami's voice had been worryingly silent since that crash-landing.

Find Kabegami's voice. Shin concentrated on memories of Obieta, imagined how she might have been when she was younger. Smaller, and one-tailed. White fur untouched by those dark lines. Kabegami stirred, and the image in his mind shifted to her memories. At the top of the tower. She'd never gone down—in fact, neither of them had wanted to.

_Kabegami…_ He called out to her. _Your child is safe. We're trying to get you back._ There was the whisper of a response. _Is there anything there on the Plain that could help us?_

_You can see._ And as he strained for the fading voice, Kabegami's senses were his. Shin looked around for a few seconds, at the incomplete circle of brush gods—he felt a pang of worry for Moegami and for Waka, but pushed it aside. He turned to look behind, and had to stop for a moment.

_That definitely wasn't there before._ It reminded him of the Ark, but without a heartbeat. It was much smaller, and shaped differently—almost like a seed pod. The same glowing markings, though, streaked across the same silvery skin. _Thank you, Kabegami… _

_Tell my kitten that I am safe. Don't let her worry._ For a second, it seemed as though there were other voices speaking faintly, but Shin had already withdrawn from the connection. He returned to the lonely blackness, searching out a different voice as he held the image of that pod in his mind.

* * *

"Hey, Chibi." Issun bounced over to the circle of unconscious brush gods. "Is it just me, or does something look different here?" He looked around the circle, bouncing around it, then stopped in front of a glazed-eyed cat. "This is Kabegami, brush god of Catwalk. Before, she was facing into the circle. Now she's facing out…" Chibiterasu looked at the cat's lowered head. He remembered Kabegami. They'd played with Issun together… He hoped Issun didn't remember that. Chibiterasu followed the point of her nose, and then looked back and forth a few times between their saucer and the brush god.

'Maybe she's trying to tell us something.'

"Yeah, something's going on…" Issun paused, deep in thought. "Let's stay around here. Maybe another one of 'em will move."

* * *

_Kyokugami._ The one who held more knowledge of the Moon Tribe's creations, from connections to those Moon-ruins for years upon years. Shin focused on the image of the pod. It did seem similar to the Ark; perhaps it had a similar carrying purpose...

_Hmm,_ Kyokugami's voice murmured. _It is certainly some sort of transport, and it is familiar to me…_ Memories flashed through Shin's mind—shapes and outlines and strange senses that he could not comprehend. But Kyokugami knew them. They were files of information, stored in the ruins' computers. His focus lingered on one image. _Yes. That is the blueprint for that ship… Someone must have built it. _Kyokugami recalled that there had already been the components for such a ship, stored deep within the ruins along with the blueprints...

_Do you know how to use it?_ More details of the blueprints flashed by, but Shin was becoming accustomed to them. Those mechanisms powered the engine… Those ones directed it… All of them connected to a control panel inside the ship. It was for planet-level travel only; it didn't have enough power to go beyond the atmosphere. _The controls, though…_ The more he visualized them, the more he worried. _I won't be able to contact you while linked with Kabegami… _It would take time for Shin to learn those controls enough. _At least I have a goal now._

_Hmm… We can review the controls. I recommend you do not rush to learn them._ Shin gave a mental acknowledgment, not completely focused on the ship anymore. What other things had Kyokugami experienced in all of those years? In those memories of the ruins, he was exploring an entirely new sense. Blueprints, schematics, a database of information…

_Wait…_ There was something… _What are these… messages?_

_The computers received quite a few messages from outside sources, especially in the recent years. However, the encoder circuits began to degrade… The messages fused, characters corrupted and jumbled..._ As they were recalled, he could see just how fragmented the messages had appeared.

_***Greetings and salutations… **** and **** found new vessels to inhabit.***_ Shin recognized that darkness, like the long-ago heartbeat of the Ark, as clear in the circuitry as it had been then in his mind. Kyokugami noted that the message had indeed been sent from the Ark, roughly ten months ago.

_The Celestial Plain is our main concern now that-****... We now know-*****_ The messages' signals had each cut out halfway through.

_****** has been launched and is headed for the air field in Nippon. Using this ****** will allow you to take hold of *****_ This one had been sent more than a year ago.

_***-Using the power of the Moon Princess-**** was a success.*****_ Shin paused. Moon Princess, Moon Princess… Where had he known that phrase from?

…_Tsukuyomi?_ Yes, the Moon Tribe had called her that, long ago on the Celestial Plain. It was her title. But… there was something else. This had been received only months ago. Could…? _Could she really be…?_

_I have some information that could help us._ Kyokugami spoke up. _The failure was only in the encoder. The signals that were actually received are mostly undamaged. _

_How do we translate them?_ Kyokugami responded in a flurry of recalled procedures and scripts, noting that even then, it would still need to be translated from the Moon Tribe's language. _It will take a while. But I need to know_. Could Tsukuyomi be still there, on the Moon… just alone, just waiting… Shin was suddenly overcome with worry. Kyokugami, seeming to sense that, focused on the last message and began to convert the characters over. Shin observed.

_E-n_u-t-i-l-i-s-a-n-t_l…_ Observing long enough, Shin began to recognize some of the patterns, adding what he hoped was the correct translation. It was between two unfamiliar alphabets: one of signal wavelengths, one of strange characters. The process grew faster, both of them now adding to it. __c-o-r-b-e-a-u-x_r-e-s-s-u-s-c-i-t-e-r-a—Oh my._ He could feel Kyokugami's emotions, a mix of confusion and unease.

_What does it say?_

_I do not understand what this could mean, but…_ He stopped, then began to spell out the translated message.

_Using the power of the Moon Princess, Yami's attempt to destroy all I held dear was a success. It was the downfall it had plotted for me since it had learned of my existence. But I have not fallen. I have been reforged. And I see now what must be done. _Kyokugami paused again, nervousness filtering through._ I shall turn the Moon's legacy to dust. The Crow-Mother will rise again._

_Oh, Tsukuyomi… What has happened to you?_ Was this truly the sister he had known for so long? How much could happen to someone with so many years apart—not just in the world, but in the way they are remembered. _The Moon's legacy…_ She had created so much. What could make her want to wipe it all away? To clear away every trace of the Moon's civilization… of the Moon Tribe… of… _Waka…!_


	48. Black Moon

**Summary: The city of the Moon is attacked, setting off a chain of events that reach far beyond its source. One of the survivors journeys across Nippon, trying to stop what his people have released.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Okami, it belongs to Capcom and Clover. Okamiden also belongs to Capcom.**

**Last chapter, Obieta recalls a relevant detail about Ninetails and beads, while the mysterious wind entity (from back in Chapter 24) resurfaces. Shin contacts Kabegami, possibly alerting Issun and Chibiterasu to something going on… Also, Shin consults with Kyokugami, and decrypts a message sent to the ruins that proves Tsukuyomi has gone a little bit insane.**

**(Note: Sorry, this chapter and the next might be a bit lower in quality.)**

* * *

A pure wind whistled through Kusa Village, scattering flower petals in speckled streams of pale pink across the night sky. There were no sounds, save for the rush of the wind and the occasional keening creaks of the distant windmills. Only dim candles flickered futilely against the darkness. The village slumbered, all except for one. He had tried to sleep, but found it did not come easily. So instead, Waka looked silently out, from one of the many bridges, at the village that had taken him in.

He still remembered the night he had arrived. The half-awake villagers had regarded him with confusion. He had asked them for help, the injured Moegami in his arms. He remembered the panic slipping into his voice. Someone had helped him carry the bird to a room to identify the injuries. As the villagers had returned to sleep, Waka had stayed to watch over Moegami. And then, in a bout of fear, he had cut off his hair and burned the remains, rubbing the ashes into the rest. In the morning, he had accepted plain clothes from a friendly villager. The only out-of-place things about him now might be his sword, his shoes (which he had decided to keep), and—if one looked close enough—blue eyes.

_I suppose it's time to reset,_ Waka thought. _Time to start over again._ So he stood, and waited for the dawn.

Moegami had not awoken. The bird still lay, completely unconscious, in the room where he was being tended to. He had kept thinking over all of the strange things he had heard, from Tsukuyomi—turning it over in his mind, he was certain now it had been her—and from Moegami… What had the brush god meant when he said he was on an island? Why would Tsukuyomi turn against her own people?

From the glowing horizon in the east, the sun began to rise, spilling rays of light onto the village, lighting the world with splashes of color. Waka watched the sky, only looking away when the pale outline of the Moon had vanished completely into the blue of the brightening sky. When his sense of security returned, he turned and headed back along the paths.

The first task Waka gave himself was to become more familiar with the village, while most of the other villagers were still asleep. Once the other awoke, he would join them in their daily tasks: usually tending the gardens or clearing parts of Taka Pass's rockslide. Sightings of demons had grown increasingly rare, especially compared to the last time he had been around—before Yami had been defeated. It was fortunate for the villagers, he supposed, but it made him uneasy to see civilians walking around the pass at night without fear. He was too used to demon scrolls lurking in every shadow. And sometimes, on the rare occasions when he would sleep, they ambushed him from the darkness of his mind.

_Enough thinking about that_. It would just make the episodes return. They had grown fewer as years had passed, as he had found ways to calm himself, but sometimes he would still feel the panic creep into the edges of his mind. Waka turned his attention instead to the clearing of the village. Out of curiosity, he headed down a different pathway. The path turned to a bridge, which wound down the side of the mountain, open on all other sides to a view of the distant sky. It reached its end at a single quaint house in a small clearing of bamboo. Quietly, he stepped into the clearing, looking around. _Must be one of the villagers' homes… _

"Oh, hello there." Waka nearly jumped as one bamboo plant in the thicket turned, revealing an old man with said plant balanced across on his hunched back. "Is there something you're looking for?"

"I'm… I'm just looking around. I'm new to this village." He looked down, feeling awkward. "I hadn't thought anyone would be awake…"

"Not many are." The man offered a friendly smile. "I'm Mr. Bamboo, and my craft is bamboo ware. I usually set up shop over in Sasa Sanctuary—luckily that wasn't blocked off by the rockslide! As for why I would be awake so early…" His gaze turned distant, almost sad. "I like to watch the moon. It reminds me of my granddaughter, Kaguya." Kaguya… The name sounded vaguely familiar, but from when or where Waka couldn't recall. "She's up there, somewhere…"

"She… went to the moon?" Could that be possible? Mr. Bamboo nodded, and Waka thought. After all, there had been those pods, sent off so long ago in that evacuation from Orochi… Perhaps one of them had, after many years of stasis in space, reached the planet safely. And then, years later, this Kaguya had found her pod again...

"It's been almost a year since then. But I'm sure she'll return home. Someday." Waka thought of Tsukuyomi. She would be on the Moon. And the pod would have been programmed with a return course, straight back to its hangar there…

_Pray I do not find you_. He didn't have the heart to mention any of this. Instead, he nodded and excused himself; it was about time to work. As he walked back, he silently regretted the loss of what may have been the only other living member of the Moon Tribe. Waka wished he had been able to meet her.

He desperately hoped he was wrong about Tsukuyomi.

* * *

The underground ruins were abandoned now. Torn open by the blast of Akuro's power, they lay exposed, the circuits broken by the gaping hole sparking ever-fainter as the ruins' power drained from it. The air, if anyone had been there to feel it, buzzed softly with static. No one came there anymore, though. After Akuro, people stayed away from that part of Ryoshima Coast. The scientists said they had studied all that they could. What was left of the place was truly ruins.

It was then that the shuttle came. At first it was just a white trail on the horizon, indistinguishable from the clouds. Only when it had neared the ruins had it descended from the midday sky, growing from a small dark spot to the rocket that it was. It slowly neared the ground, small bursts of thrusters maneuvering it to touch down inside the hollow of the ruins. The door unsealed with a hiss, letting the warm, heavy atmosphere rush inside. Its occupant nearly choked. It had been centuries, perhaps millennia, since her lungs had known air. For a moment, the only sound besides the stuttered crackles of sparking wires was the muffled, unsteady breaths from inside the shuttle.

The door opened fully, and Takefutsu emerged from the rocket. For a moment she just looked around silently, taking in the sight of the destroyed ruins. A grin tugged at her face.

_It seems I won't have to destroy it myself._ But the hint of a smile vanished as soon as it had appeared. There was a reason she had chosen to land here. _Now, where is it…?_ Takefutsu's footsteps echoed down the darkening corridors, the blue veins of light flickering ever softer. She reached a console, and with barely a flicker of the brush in her hand its dim screen fizzled to life. It only took a few moments for her to find the information she sought.

_Thunder Edge is no longer within Earthbase 1. _She gritted her teeth. The console exploded in sparks. The air buzzed alive with electricity, ready to surge forth at a single brushstroke.

_Of course. The humans._ They had stolen it, she knew it. Completely oblivious to its true value… Takefutsu went to another console. _I need to find it…_ She faltered for a moment, remembering her purpose, remembering the origin of that sword. _It was hers. It was Amanozako's sword…_

_Nearest major human settlement: Sei'An City._ The console blinked with a map of the surrounding area. Takefutsu turned on her heel, heading back towards the entrance. As she went, the last vestiges of power were pulled from the ruins' circuitry, charging the air around her. She reached her rocket again, closing its door and jolting it briefly to keep it shut. The electricity of the ruins gathered around her, waiting.

She released it. It seared through the ruins' circuits, concentrated enough to melt them into uselessness. In moments, all that remained of the Moon Tribe's base was a metal husk of a cave and the smell of ozone. Her work complete, Takefutsu began to climb up the ripped sides of the ruins, avoiding the near-melting wiring. She winced as the sunlight struck her, squinting as she oriented herself.

_I will find it._ She started down the path towards the city. The sword was there. She would get it back. _I will bring her back. _And if she found any other remnants of the civilization that she had created… _I will cleanse the world of the plague I wrought. The plague that I destroyed her to create..._

* * *

I stood outside the hollow, looking out at the restless waves. Arcs of moonlight flickered erratically across their shifting surfaces. Would they ever become still? Still and light and cold, like that memorable dream, as though I could walk right across...

Within the breeze, I thought I heard a voice whisper. Ears pricked, I looked around. No one… The shards of light on the water began to blur and distort around the faint outline of a shape. It looked almost human, though I could hardly see clearly…

_Hello again, little spirit._ I stiffened and took a step back. _You've been busy since we last met. It was right up there on that tower, wasn't it?_

"You're the voice…" And the voice only giggled, in the same airy tones that echoed around inside my head. "You pushed me off the tower." The laughter only continued. I crept backwards carefully, away from anywhere that its gusts might be able to push me into. "W-what do you want?" The figure shifted in the air, changing shapes.

_Now, now, there's no need to act like that. I only want what's best for you, dearest. _I didn't move, crouching further. _I know what you seek, and I know where to find it._ That gave me pause. _Yes, that's right. I know where those beads are—the ones that belonged to that fox you care so much about._

I didn't know what to say. Was it telling the truth? Could I trust something that had… That had taken my home away from me forever? That had taken me from Mama?

_Oh, I wouldn't lie to you—Well, this time I'm not. _The voice seemed to giggle at some private joke. _Think it over, little spirit. But you know that you need me… _It paused for a moment. _And don't even think about telling your "friend" about me. He'd never cooperate willingly. And you wouldn't want him to suffer, hmm?_ I shivered at the wind's audible glee. The outline was becoming fainter, warping into swirls. _And of course, if you don't accept my offer, you might regret it…_ The last echoes of laughter drifted away, swept off with the wind. There was nothing left again but the silence and the ripples of the waves. Looking down at the water, I didn't feel like fishing anymore.

_What do I do…? Should I tell Shin?_ But that would upset the wind, or whatever creature it carried… I realized that I knew frighteningly little—about what to do, about what this was... It was the wind; it was everywhere. It knew what I was doing, maybe even what I was thinking... Who knew what other powers it might have?_ And I'm alone… I'm all alone…_

Staying silent, I headed back inside.


	49. Apastron

**Summary: The city of the Moon is attacked, setting off a chain of events that reach far beyond its source. One of the survivors journeys across Nippon, trying to stop what his people have released.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Okami, it belongs to Capcom and Clover. Okamiden also belongs to Capcom.**

**Last chapter, Waka updates the readers on his new life as a civilian in Kusa Village, doing community service work. A bit boring? Probably, but he's still worried about Tsukuyomi (aka Takefutsu). With good reason, because last chapter was also when she landed in the ruins, completely blew a fuse, and is now headed (somewhat murderously) towards the nearest inhabited place searching for a lost sword. Also, Obieta meets the wind again, and it's only slightly less friendly than last time.**

**I am so sorry that this chapter is up late. It just slipped my mind... And it's probably not good quality, either.**

* * *

The sun was rising high into the sky, bright white on a cloudless blue. Waka walked down the dirt roads of Taka Pass, but his mind was on things far away.

Only a few nights ago, he had seen it. It had been unmistakable. The glimmer of a rocket, slipping across the horizon towards some distant landing place. But who did it carry?

_Perhaps it is Kaguya. Perhaps she has returned._ Mr. Bamboo would be overjoyed, he knew that. Waka tried to imagine what she might be like. He hadn't seen another like him for many, many years. Not since Sugawara's passing. He doubted she would recognize him, of course—not with him disguised as he was. Would she know their language? Perhaps he would have to practice. And together he could confide all of those locked-up stories of older times, when the Moon was a haven...

…But none of that would happen, would it? Some part of him already knew it was a false hope. Kaguya wasn't the one in that shuttle. Tsukuyomi had reached the planet, and who knew what she would do...

A cheer rose from the pass entrance, and Waka broke off his train of thought. He looked over. The pile of rocks blocking the passage was nearly cleared away, and some of the civilians climbed to stand atop it in victory.

"Hey!" One of them called to him. "Spread the word, tell the village—the way to the city is open again!" Waka smiled and nodded, heading back the way he had come at a faster pace.

Kusa Village celebrated at the news as soon as it arrived. Already, the few villagers that had business in the city were packing to set off together. Waka would be going with them. At least, he would for a little while. Very kindly, they had agreed to take Moegami to the city—perhaps there were better treatments there. Waka wasn't going back there, though.

_An island… a tower by the coast…_ Whatever Moegami's words were pointing to, he was going to find out.

* * *

Obieta was out fishing again. For more than a few nights now, Shin had been the one who had woken to find his companion occupied. Her thoughts, though he had only heard a few from when she was—increasingly rarely—nearby, were almost unusually quiet. He had debated listening further, but there was a presence on the edge of his senses that made his hearing fuzz and mind-voices grow faint. Of course, there was always the chance that the quietness was simply due to that, whatever that presence was, and had nothing to do with Obieta herself. Shin closed his eyes, a persistent worry still gnawing at him. But he tried to concentrate.

_Kabegami, are you there?_ There was little else he could do at this point. Moegami was still unreachable. He had gone over the ship's controls with Kyokugami several times, and though he was nervous…

_I am here._ Shin's vision shifted back to the vibrant, welcoming colors of the Plain. The silver of the ship came into focus in front of him. The transparent layer that would seal the cockpit shut was lifted, leaving it open. He stepped forward, unsteadily, trying to synchronize his will to move with Kabegami's movements. Kabegami easily jumped up onto the ship, but nearly slipped, claws gripping frantically for any small crevice on the ship's smooth surface. Shin was so distracted that he didn't notice the voices approaching.

"Hey, whoa! Wait up!" His newly-maintained balance nearly toppled. Carefully, he turned to look. A young white dog, marked with brush god's red, stared up. His thoughts named him as Amaterasu. Shin blinked, puzzled. How was this one brush god still awake? But before he could think any more, Kabegami's attention had fixated on the small, glowing, bouncing object next to him. She crouched, tail flicking with mischief.

_No—Kabegami, that's a person!_ A very tiny person, yes, but Shin could hear his mind-voice as clearly as any other.

"Kabegami, do you know what the heck happened to all the other brush gods?" Kabegami stopped, and Shin hesitated, guilty. Independent of him, Kabegami deliberately shook her head. "You don't know either, huh… What're you doing on our ship, anyway?" He sensed suspicion from the small person—Issun was his name. "Do you need to go somewhere?" Shin nodded. "Well…" He was still suspicious that Kabegami's mysterious awakening might be a sign of something demonic.

"I don't mean any harm," he spoke unsteadily.

"Alright then…" Issun was still reluctant. "It's about time we got out of here anyway. Right, Chibi?" Amaterasu—the "Chibi" in question—was looking curiously back at him, but barked in agreement. Both Kabegami and Amaterasu clambered into the cockpit, and Issun hopped in, bouncing and tapping buttons on the console. The glass hull snapped shut and the ship easily whirred to life, rose to a hover, and shot off.

"I still don't get what happened…" Issun had turned some of his attention away from the controls, having apparently set them on autopilot. "The brush gods are all zoned out, Amaterasu's nowhere in sight…" Shin glanced over at Amaterasu, who just gave a quiet huff of resignation.

_Why is he still awake…? _Perhaps he could just ask Amaterasu. He tried to reach out, to find the link to the embodiment of the sunrise's power… Shin felt his grip on Kabegami's world loosen. But the link to the sunrise no longer connected him to Amaterasu. Instead it led into Yomi, somewhere beyond that threshold of life and death… And yet, at the same time, it led somewhere else. For some reason, it gave him the image of a blue-beaded necklace, and beyond that a flickering flame. How had the link been severed? Amaterasu looked over, apparently having picked up a little from Kabegami's body language.

_The thing that took the other brush gods' powers away and put those into new little bodies… It didn't work on me. Why?_ The thoughts were undirected, musings mostly from frustration. _Instead it just took my body, leaving me as a puppy… _Shin couldn't determine anything more about what had happened, not with what he knew now. So instead he turned inward, directing his thoughts to Kabegami.

_Is there anything you want me to tell your daughter? …Before you two can meet again, of course._ Outside the glass, the landscape had changed to brilliant shades of blue, strewn more and more with chunks of frozen white.

_You have my gratitude. Just tell her—_ A hissing whoosh suddenly swept into his mind. Shin saw the world fuzz before his eyes.

"…So," Issun's voice came distantly, "where should w—"

Kabegami was unresponsive.

* * *

Shin opened his eyes, and instantly knew something was wrong. Despite the fuzz clouding his senses, there was a distinct voice… A voice with clearly conflicted thoughts... He rushed outside.

_I'm sorry, Shin,_ the voice said, over and over. And as he watched, the tiny figure of Obieta drew further and further away, lilypad by lilypad. The fuzziness disappeared as she did, as though its presence followed her. He looked out at this from the island of Catcall Tower, watching his only way of leaving disappear.

_Swimming would be nearly hopeless,_ he thought. So Shin was stuck. _I hope Waka understood my message._

So he went back inside, and waited.


	50. Libration

**Summary: The city of the Moon is attacked, setting off a chain of events that reach far beyond its source. One of the survivors journeys across Nippon, trying to stop what his people have released.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Okami, it belongs to Capcom and Clover. Okamiden also belongs to Capcom.**

**Last chapter, Waka left Taka Pass to go find Shin (though he doesn't know that yet) and sent Moegami off to the city. Meanwhile, Shin and Kabegami got Kabegami off the Plain with the help of Issun, Chibiterasu, and a flying saucer. Then the wind interrupted, and Shin found that Obieta had left with it.**

**Really sorry, another late chapter... I've been slipping a bit. The next one will be on time. Probably.**

* * *

I hadn't looked back. I kept regretting that. I'd just left Shin with hardly a thought of goodbye, without any reason I could share with him…

_Now, now, don't be that way,_ the wind whispered in my ears. _There's a reason you decided to come with me, after all._ I looked down at the night-darkened grass, overwhelmed by shame. Because it was true. I had abandoned Shin because I wanted to save someone else. That just didn't seem right… _No more of that. There's only so many hours in the night. You don't want to be caught out here when the sun comes, do you? _I was out in the open, my only shelter a cobbled wall.

_No… I don't._ But part of me felt that the sting of sunlight would be a punishment I deserved.

_Then, let's go~ _If a voice could convey a grin, this would be that voice. Smiling, even wider at my misfortunes. _I still know what you're thinking, little spirit. Do you really see me that way?_ I tried to avoid responding. _I only want to be your helper, precious one. Your guide._

_Let's just get this done._

_Fine, then. Be that way._ Now I could almost sense… a pout? _The beads are inside that temple._ I carefully stepped around the wall, looking over at the staircase that led to the building. A large gate marked the steps to the entrance, a tall wall stretching out to prevent entry from any other direction. But, if I needed to, I could Catwalk over it easily. Warily, I proceeded up the steps, crouching alongside the little ledges of cover bordering the stone pathway. I felt exposed, especially as I passed under the gateway and into the temple grounds.

The steps grew steeper and darker. I kept going, through the two thinner, more decorative gateways that marked the true entrance with dull oranges and greens. From the small clearing, I could see the full temple.

To be honest, it wasn't as intimidating as the climb had made me expect. In fact, it looked a little like a less crooked version of the shack I had once taken shelter in, long ago, with Blue… I began to wonder where they could possibly have ended up, where they might be now... That took my thoughts in a different direction, and I could feel the wind huff in irritation.

_Tsk. So sentimental, aren't you?_ The temple's large, dark roof loomed taller than the building itself. _Well? It's inside. Go on!_ I tried to shake off my worries and hesitation, and slunk through the doorway. The moment I did, I froze and had to flinch away, forcing myself to focus on a plain spot on the wall. There was a human. Laying right there. Only steps away. My claws itched for the sensation of its skin between them, to tear into it until the warmth of life faded away. The thoughts made me want to whimper, to flee or curl up until everything went away. The floorboards made a strange rasping, ripping sound as my claws dug into them.

_Make it stop… Make it go away…_ But not even the wind's voice answered. There was only the heartbeat in my head. I let out a quiet cry, pressing my face into the floor. _Make it stop… _I tried to focus on my breathing, tried to slow it from the panicked panting. Slowly, the foreign heartbeat and those horrible feelings began to recede. I lifted my head.

…_Well then._ The wind returned in a whoosh, as though a gust passing through the temple.

_You could've warned me…_ No response. I tried to take a step forward, only to find my right paw's claws had lodged in the floor. I stepped backwards and carefully tugged it free. Looking everywhere around in the room that I could look without seeing the human, I found nothing. _Where are they?_ All I knew about the beads is that they were round, and linked together by a string into a circle-like shape… And that they were blue. Distinctively blue. _If they're not here…_ Finally the wind responded.

_Over there, with all of the other "holy items"._ Now I saw the tiny bit of blue atop a wooden blocklike object. Slowly, I walked around the room. When I got there, I looked up at them—above my head. Just being near the beads gave me a tingly feeling of warmth. _Hmm. So this is where she wandered off to. What an interesting turn of events..._ I managed to stand on my hind legs for a moment and, with a paw, batted them down. They fell to the floor with a series of quiet clatters. Behind me, I heard stirring. I froze, beginning to creep away.

"Huh…? Wha…. Rao's ….?" And then, with a soft breeze of wind, the human quieted again. Without much thought, I nosed at the beads until the string slipped over my head, then scampered out of the building.

As soon as I got to a seemingly safe area—at the crook of the wall, where it and the temple shielded me from all eyes except the stars—I stopped. Awkwardly, I shifted the beads around my neck, worrying they would tangle with the string of the Astral Pouch. But they didn't, and they weren't heavy either, just pleasantly warm in a way that made me feel safe and at home. It must have made me bold, because I addressed the wind.

"How could I understand what it was saying? Who's Rao? What did you mean about the beads?" I wanted answers. Things weren't lining up right. Was this some sort of trick? How could a human speak the same language that Yomigami had taught me? Who was this "Rao" that both it and Ninetails had mentioned? Or was "Rao" just a common word I didn't understand?

The wind only gave a derisive chuckle, as though mocking my confusion. Despite all my questions, the only thing it said was brief and direct:

_Show me to the shrine._

* * *

Even within the humming interior of the ship, Chibiterasu shivered. Issun wasn't much better, having burrowed himself into the fur of his neck. Kabegami stood like a statue, seemingly unaware of the cold. Even so, Chibiterasu could tell that her skin was chilling. Under his fur, he felt Issun stir, and then the familiar green glow—though slightly fainter—bounced out.

"O-o-okay th-then… L-let's get going again…" The ship was hovering above the wintry island of Kamui. "S-so…" Issun mumbled to himself, hopping up to the control panel. "I think Wep'keer is that spot over there…" He started the engines again, tipping the saucer to dislodge all of the fallen snow from the glass. Chibiterasu stumbled, but was quickly on his feet again to catch Kabegami, who had toppled over without reaction. The brush god's skin was clammy and cold to the touch, but still she didn't shiver to warm herself. The puppy curled up next to her, trying to share what body heat he could.

All three of the occupants were sluggish with cold by the time the ship touched down near the edge of the village. The glass popped open, and a biting wind rushed in. Chibiterasu managed to rouse himself and tried to help Kabegami out of the saucer. Issun bounced atop the edge of the saucer, shouting for help. Chibiterasu began to bark, too, and soon a small pack of wolves approached. They each transformed into one of the Oina, and as Issun tried to explain the strange series of events, they took up Kabegami to carry while Chibiterasu stumbled alongside them. Finally he gave in, legs failing, and he felt arms lift him up.

_So cold… _He couldn't even shiver anymore. All his vision could focus on was that small green speck that seemed to sway in the endless swath of white.

Back and forth. Back and forth. Growing dim…

Then he woke up. Everything was warmer. A fire was crackling. Chibiterasu looked around. He was in a small hut. Furs covered the walls. Kabegami had been laid down nearby, wrapped in a thick blanket. There was a faint medicinal smell around her part of the room, but still she remained motionless.

He stepped towards her, looking for any signs of waking, and his paw brushed on something. He looked down. There was a piece of paper that he hadn't noticed before, which he bent down to read.

_"Hey Chibi,_

_I'm going over to Ponc'tan. Maybe old Ishaku will have some idea about what's happened to the brush gods. I'll be back in a few days._

_Stay safe!_

_Issun"_

Chibiterasu reread the note, then was going to curl back up on his blanket when a strangely blue-furred wolf strode into the hut. He felt a sudden surge of recognition.

'You're… Samickle?' The wolf blinked in confusion.

'Who are you?' Chibiterasu fidgeted. Right. He looked like a puppy now, didn't he? 'The Poncle says you are the son of Amaterasu.' Chibiterasu shook his head. 'How do you know me?'

'I am Amaterasu.'

There was a long silence, filled only by the occasional crackles of the fire.

'It's a long story… Somehow, I was transformed into a puppy, and… Issun told you what happened to the other brush gods.' He pointed a snout towards the unconscious one in the room.

'Then why does he think you are a descendant of Amaterasu?'

'I can't talk to him! He doesn't understand anything I say!' Chibiterasu paced in frustration. Samickle watched.

'Do not worry. The answers will come. Until then, I welcome you again to Wep'keer.'


	51. Antipodal Point

**Summary: The city of the Moon is attacked, setting off a chain of events that reach far beyond its source. One of the survivors journeys across Nippon, trying to stop what his people have released.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Okami, it belongs to Capcom and Clover. Okamiden also belongs to Capcom.**

**Last chapter, Obieta and the wind get Rao's beads from Ankoku Temple, and they do indeed have a soul in them, while Obieta begins to question things. Meanwhile, Chibiterasu and Kabegami end up in Kamui, and Issun has gone off to Ponc'tan to seek some answers.**

**Author's note: I had to disobey canon a bit here. I know that Thunder Edge is actually obtained by fighting True Orochi, but it made more sense (in this story) for it to be found in the Underground Ruins…**

* * *

Shin had been alone on the island for days now. He did all that he could; he spoke with the brush gods, he watched for Obieta despite knowing she might never return, he watched for Waka despite knowing he might never come, he even reconsidered swimming to shore. Kabegami, when he could reach her—she was often resting—said that they had ended up somewhere very cold, but were being taken care of. He kept trying to contact Moegami, to get any glimpse of where Waka might be.

Today, while searching and calling out into his mind, the brush god responded.

_Where are you? What happened?_

_The landing…_ Moegami's voice was still faint. _I was injured…_ He had lost consciousness around the time the connection had broken.

_Do you know where you are?_

_It looks like… Sei'An City?_ Blurry images formed in Shin's vision. _I am inside a house…_ It looked and felt like someone had been trying to care for him while he was unconscious. There was padding wrapped around his legs in particular. _You may look for yourself. _The images became clearer, closer almost. Shin blinked slowly, watching the world refocus through Moegami's eyes. It was a moonless night, and the sky was dark. Slowly, he stood, stretching his sore and unused wings. He removed the bandages from his legs—they looked fine, and only felt a little numb.

_Is Waka here…?_ Shin didn't know him to be well-versed in medicine. And neither of them recognized this place as any that he might live in.

_Wait._ He stopped. _There is something wrong._

_What is it? _

_An intruder in the city._ Moegami slipped through the window with only a little trouble, plunging into a low glide. He swooped up above the tall buildings of the Aristocratic Quarter, sharpening eyesight scouring the area for any signs of movement.

_But… We can't just leave…_

_We already have._ Moegami's thoughts paused. _Besides, we can return after everything is dealt with. If Waka is here, he'll have sensed the intrusion too._ Shin had to agree with that. So he continued searching the city below. _There._ A flicker of movement near the base of one tall building. _Breaking and entering, it looks like… Why don't we get there first._ Moegami easily circled in and landed on the top of the building, where a strange metal contraption hung above the doorway. The figure didn't seem to have spotted him. _I know this house. It belongs to Gen, the inventor._

_Is someone trying to steal something from him…?_

"Hmm…" High-pitched murmuring and a few clanks came from inside.

_Seems like Gen is up working late again. That's typical of him._

"This is the most fascinating thing of everything we found in the ruins! It is much smaller than my contraption, but seems to produce the same amount of electricity…" The contraption atop his house sparked, and Moegami was forced to flap away. He felt the electricity sting his limbs as he retreated. He only banked just soon enough to see the figure, having scaled the side of the building, slip through the doorway. The electricity didn't seem to have even touched them.

_Black hair. Long black hair._ Shin didn't need Yumigami's voice to remind him of the familiarity there. _It's probably just a coincidence. Almost everyone has black hair._ But this was different. That long-ago memory still lingered in his thoughts.

Gen's scream was nearly drowned out by the electricity's surging hum. He tried to dive towards the door, to try and save him somehow, but the lightning sizzled at his feathers and he felt his wings begin to spasm. Wobbly, he was forced to back off again, feeling the rawness of a burn on his left wing. As the figure emerged, Moegami flew upwards, high enough to overlook while staying out of range of any threats.

_Command over electricity… She always could manipulate the lightning if there was every a storm… Said that it could be used as power…_ The figure was holding a golden sword which shone with ripples of electricity. The contraption stopped.

She looked right up at him, and Shin found he couldn't move.

_She's alive. My sister is alive_. Before Moegami could stop him, he called out to her.

"Tsukuyomi—" Her eyes stared straight through him, cold. She raised the sword.

Moegami took over, and barely dodged the full brunt as a bolt of lightning burst from the sword. The bird let out a wild caw as his chest burned, pierced further by the rush of air against the wound as he was knocked from the sky. He couldn't regain balance in the air; his wings moved out of sync.

_Why?_ Silently, Moegami wrested all control from him and began to right himself. Shin's vision, his senses were fading. _Why would she do this?_ As Moegami shifted into a glide, Shin slipped away. When he opened his eyes, he had left Moegami's senses, and there was only the familiar thicket of vines. He didn't try to return.

* * *

Shinshu Field. At the wind's urging, I had gotten from Ryoshima Coast to there in only a few nights. As usual, I didn't feel any tiredness despite the distance I had covered, and the wind warded any humans or other creatures away from me while I took shelter during daytime.

It seemed to know that we were getting close. The grass and trees of the surrounding area were tossed about in constant currents of air.

"If you can read my thoughts, why couldn't you just figure out where the shrine is on your own?"

_Oh, I could._ It seemed amused at me, as usual. _But I need you to be there, too. You're part of my plan, little soul._ I had no words to respond with. I just kept walking along the darkened path.

_Don't do this._ I didn't stop, trying to act as though nothing was wrong. Stalling a little, I headed across a bridge instead of going directly towards the village—I didn't exactly remember where it was, anyway. Where had that voice come from? It reminded me of my mother in a way, and Ninetails too, but it didn't sound like either of them. _Please, little one._ The beads. It was a strange idea, but something in me knew that the voice was coming from there. So there was a bit of a soul inside this item after all...

_But… Ninetails…_ I knew I'd done a horrible thing. But there was someone whose life I could save.

_My life in this world is not worth this cost._ I passed alongside a plateau, looking up at the flat ground above.

_I have to do something…_ There was some sort of stone structure there, with an open doorway leading into dark depths. I made my decision.

As quick as I could, I swiped a brushstroke to climb the wall and made a dash for the doorway. The wind was at my heels, hissing in my ears the whole way.

_Trying to escape behind my back, hmm? Trying to back out of our pact?_ I ducked into the structure. A tunnel of stone. I kept running. _You can't escape. You know it's futile. I will never stop. _I was afraid. I could feel that. But instead of paralyzing me, the fear just made me run faster. _You can't resist me forever._

_If… I can just…_ Find a human. Look at it. I hated that darkness, that rage, but it would force the wind away, get that voice out of my head.

_You don't know what you're doing, do you? What you __are__._ I just gritted my teeth. _Your dear "mother" used to warn you of demons. Terrible creatures outside that little tower you call "home"._ The voice was speaking a bit faster. The waver in it almost made me pause. _They exist. Their very essence is an evil beyond your comprehension._

_I know they exist,_ I thought back, _because they are things like you._ The wind just laughed.

_No, little one. They're creatures like __you__._

_No..._

_The imps. The one you call "Ninetails". They are the demons your mother told you to fear._

_No…_

_And now you're one of them._

_No! _My head was screaming. My legs were screaming. I tried to run away, but I couldn't run from the voice, from the laughter that swore it would never stop until I gave in.

* * *

Omake-

"So, Gramps, you have any ideas?" Ishaku shook his head.

"This is really rather mysterious. Amaterasu missing? The brush gods, left in such a state?" He paced for a bit, then went to retrieve an old scroll. "I wonder if this could have anything to do with…"

"With what?"

"With all of this, of course. Do you have any idea, Issun, how the mantle of 'Okami' is passed from one generation's holder to the next? How old brush gods give rise to new ones? How godhood itself is inherited?"

"No…" Ishaku shrugged.

"Well, neither do I." Issun was halfway to chuckling when his grandfather's expression turned solemn. "But I think something has gone wrong."


	52. Nadir

**Summary: The city of the Moon is attacked, setting off a chain of events that reach far beyond its source. One of the survivors journeys across Nippon, trying to stop what his people have released.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Okami, it belongs to Capcom and Clover. Okamiden also belongs to Capcom.**

**Last chapter, Shin managed to contact Moegami, and together they got to see his sister, Tsukuyomi, who is alive, has committed a crime, and is pretty much acting rather violent. Meanwhile, Obieta has had enough of the wind and decides to make a break for it, and finally realizes that she's been on the wrong side in the whole demon/god scheme of things.**

* * *

_Tsukuyomi…_

_Yes, your sister is alive. _Moegami had been putting up with this all night. _Now, let me get back to my city before she hurts anyone else._

_But…_ It was easy to tell that Shin felt conflicted. He didn't want to face his sister again. But Moegami was growing frustrated

_You don't even need to be there. Just give me a link._

Without comment, Shin reached out, and Moegami felt himself return to his body.

"Ah, you're awake!" Moegami blinked, taking in the sunlight streaming through the window. He was back in the same house as before, wrapped in more bandages. His injuries didn't sting anymore, and a quick glance revealed that they were covered in a salve. "I found you outside Gen's house." Moegami tried to stand, but his healer stopped him.

"What happened to—"

"You're still injured. You need to rest." He paused, then relented and settled down again.

"How is Gen?"

"He's dead."

"Dead…" Moegami repeated softly.

"Someone found him this morning, covered in strange burns." He closed his eyes in resignation. He had failed in his duties. A citizen of his city, under his protection, had been murdered. "It's a good thing you woke up. You might be the only one who knows what happened there." Moegami paused, and felt Shin's worry growing in the back of his thoughts.

"He was murdered. Someone… turned his machine on him." This was all true, if slightly misleading. But Moegami knew how confused humans would be if they knew there was a brush wielder behind it.

"Did you see anything of the perpetrator?"

"She has hair past her shoulders, and is wearing clothing with odd designs. It will stand out." While Shin panicked, he continued. "Avoid her at all costs. As you have reminded me, I am in no state for combat." And who knew how useful the Tao Troopers would be… Even if Waka was around, he doubted they could fight a god.

"I… I will pass your message on, master Moegami." The healer went to leave, then paused. "Just… if I may ask… What is it that we are facing?" Moegami took a long breath, and then stared straight into the healer's eyes and lied.

"I do not know." He—through Shin—knew far too well what she was. But they agreed that it would be better not to tell any human of it.

They didn't need to know that they were facing the wrath of a god.

* * *

I didn't know how long I had been running, but I couldn't stop. The wind wouldn't stop, wouldn't leave me alone. So I had to keep going.

_So tired…_ I was vaguely aware that, minutes ago—or perhaps days—the surroundings had changed from the grey stone tunnel to a chilly white. At some points, when I noticed this, I half-wondered if I had fallen asleep, collapsed somewhere along the way, and this was my dream.

I had little sense of where I was going, of when I was turning or going straight. All I knew is that I was heading away. Away from the wind. My heart was racing with my legs, and my head was fogged beyond comprehension.

_You'll have to stop eventually._ I couldn't identify if the voice was my thoughts or the wind's voice.

And then, my vision clearing, I saw the walls. I had to stop. I had to stop. My legs wouldn't listen, and I skidded against the cold wall. A cave. The wind had me cornered now. I could hear it laughing, louder and louder… I looked around, searching for anywhere to go, but there was nowhere. Only crevices that led nowhere. I huddled into one anyway. My breathing was irregular, I noticed that now, and only my fear was keeping me alert.

_Well, well. Someone needs to learn some obedience._ I squeezed deeper away into the crevice. _Let this be a lesson to you, my little light... If you do not submit, there will be consequences._ The laughing was growing closer. Panicked, I flattened my ears and hissed. There was only more laughter. _…Oh? _Then the air was still and quiet. _It seems there is something else that deserves my attention… Well, I will see what these Great Tengus' fussing is all about. Mizuchi will take care of you. I'll come back to get you later~_ And then it was gone. I didn't move. I listened, trying to quiet my own breathing. Nothing. There was just a soft whoosh as the wind departed.

_Safe._ The fear began to fade. Now I realized how my legs ached, how I was too tired to possibly move any further. And it was so cold… The very walls were seeping cold onto my skin. I didn't have enough energy to shiver it away.

_You're going to get through this._ The beads around my neck—I had almost forgotten about them—warmed. I curled up around the heat, and the cold seemed a little less biting.

Then I heard the wall crack. My eyes sprung open again. As I watched, another series of cracks spread further across the wall. And as the cracks grew more numerous, the very earth began to shake.

_Another earthquake…?_ There was a huge crash, and from the crevice I could see clear shards scatter across the cavern floor, some as large as I was. A guttural growl echoed through the cavern. I huddled away from the entrance. The wind said someone would take care of me. Was this what it had meant…?

Something blocked the light of the entrance. Dimly, I saw a head, as huge as the Water Dragon's. Its eye, completely strewn with red, jerked around, taking in my tiny cave of safety.

Unlike the Water Dragon, it knew I was here.

It roared, jaws scraping at the walls around the crevice. Cracks began to appear around the edges. I whimpered. It was going to get in. It was going to eat me.

There was nowhere left for me to run.

* * *

Waka saw the tower rising in the distance, on a faraway island off the coast, and had to smile briefly in relief. He'd searched all of that which he could see from land, looking for the island with a tower. And, luckily, there was one such island.

_Time to see what this is all about._ He activated his Water Tablet, then stepped off the coast and onto the water. It was a short walk to the twisting, forested base of the island, but his pace was slow. There was a niggling worry at the back of his mind. Perhaps it was the apparent seriousness of the situation—following the last words of a brush god who never woke again. Or perhaps it was the lack of meowing that unsettled him. He'd been so used to hearing the cat atop that tower, even though it had gone silent months ago after Amaterasu found the brush god up there.

He walked carefully onto the island, taking in the entrance outlined by trunks and the tower that—still glowing a faint gold in parts—rose from the treetops. There didn't seem to be a way up, unless you had supernatural climbing powers or the ability to fly. Once again, Waka mourned the loss of his headdress.

Well, it didn't matter too much. He'd find a way up there somehow. But first things first, into that shady thicket… It seemed like the perfect nesting place for a horde of demons. Dark, now unprotected by any brush god's power… Waka kept a hand on his sword as he approached the entrance.

_Demons… Shouldn't be a problem. I've fought plenty of them before._ Why wasn't that reassuring?

He entered, and had to pause for a minute while his eyes adjusted to the darkness. Nothing. The thicket was filled with a deathly silence. Barely any light reached through the shade of the trees, and only a few spots of light speckled the ground's dying grass. The main tower's stones gave off a faint light, but their glow was fading like dying embers. Waka took a step forward, the single footstep sounding far too loud. Two torches were toppled across the ground. Someone—or something—had extinguished them. He looked around again, but still found nothing.

There was a scuffling sound to his left, and he whirled around, activating his glowing blade to point into the shadows. Faint clawed prints led through the smaller pillars of stone. A demon's footprints. The more he looked, the more he could see that they littered the entire floor, some winding in and out of the entrance, others circling in loops that crossed about the floor.

_How many of them are there?_

'There is only one.' A series of unintelligible clicks came from somewhere between the pillars. Waka took a few steps towards the sounds, keeping his weapon raised. 'There's no need for that.' Those noises were almost the same as the humanoid demons, when they chattered within the darkness. 'You can't understand me, can you…' The more the sounds came, the closer he could pinpoint their source. By that pillar, just on the other side…

He lunged to the side, and briefly saw a flash of white and black before the figure fled, footsteps pattering away through the pillars. He'd missed.

Waka drew his other sword, listening for any movements.

'Please, don't...' He deactivated his flute, masking any light he carried. All that was left in the darkness was him and the enemy. His footsteps were quiet as he crept towards it.

The hunt was on.


	53. Singularity

**Summary: The city of the Moon is attacked, setting off a chain of events that reach far beyond its source. One of the survivors journeys across Nippon, trying to stop what his people have released.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Okami, it belongs to Capcom and Clover. Okamiden also belongs to Capcom.**

**Last chapter, we find that Gen was murdered by Tsukuyomi, Obieta was trapped in a cave with a very angry demon-dragon (Mizuchi), and Waka arrived at Catcall Tower and unknowingly began trying to kill Shin.**

* * *

Waka had the creature cornered. He could hear it behind the pillar, still clicking. There was nowhere it could run without him seeing. And when he saw it… Well, then this chase would be at an end.

On impulse, he quickly moved in to strike, and found himself staring right into the demon's eyes. Cringing away from the bright light of his flute was a creature that looked almost human. Ugly black lines wrapped over every bit of the pale, corpselike skin, spiraling in strange designs. Its clawed hands were shaking, pressed against the pillar's stone.

'I can't… control…' He watched the creature click again with a mouth that looked far too human. Unnaturally dark eyes, flecked with yellow, narrowed back at him. 'You.' It growled, baring pointed fangs. For a split second, Waka froze. And then it lunged. He jumped back, barely quick enough to avoid its claws. 'You left me. You always did.' Waka parried with his sword, but the demon seemed to see the move coming and twisted the sword out of his grip. It landed in the grass, and the demon lunged again before he could retrieve it. 'This time… I'll be the one leaving you to die.' His attempts to slash back were easily dodged. 'You'll be alone…'

_It's like it can read my movements…_ Waka sidestepped, trying to reach his fallen sword. _What kind of demon…?_ Nothing he had fought, not even the Tengu, had been able to avoid every one of his attacks. Perhaps he was just getting rusty.

He feinted, diving for his sword, and this time the creature didn't block him.

'Oh no…' It was trembling again. It began to back away, face turned towards the ground. 'What did I do…'

_Now's the time to strike_. It was vulnerable now. He raised his sword, ready to strike.

"W… aka..." The creature stumbled with the pronunciation, but it still made him pause. It had definitely said his name. "It's… It's me." Puzzled but still suspicious, Waka kept his sword leveled at the demon.

"Who are you?" He shouldn't be talking to it. It was a demon. Even if it could understand him, this was probably some sort of trick. But still… Something about this one was different. This creature seemed almost human.

"I'm… I'm Shin." For a moment, Waka felt a pang of remembrance for a time long gone.

"No." He pushed away the sentimental feelings. Shin was dead. He'd been dead for more than a century.

"Is that how long... it's been?"

Surprised, Waka lowered his sword.

"You can read my mind."

"Of... course."

_Could it really be…? _Now he looked again, and he could see pieces of the person he knew distorted into the demonic appearance—the same pale hair, same build, the same face, even though it was turned away. "Shin… What… How… " There were millions of questions he wanted to ask. How was he alive? What had happened over all this time? "You're alive." Waka stepped closer, unable to hold back a relieved smile despite his state. Shin quickly moved away from him. "What is it? Shin, look at me."

"I… can't…" He avoided his gaze. "I'll just… attack you again…" Waka approached slower, carefully, and sat down beside him. He turned his head away, but otherwise did not move. For a moment, it was almost like they were back on the Plain, back before it all. Waka hesitated for a moment, overcome by a sudden return of long-ignored emotions.

"I missed you." He still remembered the Moon Cave. They'd never had a chance to say what needed saying. Now they had a second chance.

"But everything… is different now…" Shin's voice was still unsteady. "You have lived… a century while I was gone. You have changed."

"Not everything has to change." Shin was trembling again. Waka wanted to reach out, to comfort him, but he couldn't bring himself to touch him. The dark lines looked almost painful, like chains. _Shin… What has happened to you?_

"You were… what you thought at first… You were right. I am a demon."

"No… You're not a demon." _You are everything but that._

"You don't… understand. When I died, the… darkness brought me back. And this…" He gestured to himself, to the claws and the markings. "This is the price of life."

"You're not a demon." He was nothing like them. He'd had a life before this transformation.

"I am not the… the only one like this."

_There are others?_

"I've spoken with demons. Many of them were made by the same choice." Waka's eyes widened. "They were human before." It was a moment before the guilt hit him, as memories of countless hunting missions flashed in his mind.

_I'm a murderer. _Unconsciously he tensed up, trying to force the shame away. Every demon he'd killed, thinking to protect the people's lives, was another life he had taken. So many of them… _All dead by my hands. _Shin shifted beside him.

"You didn't know…. You didn't know… You couldn't have known…" Waka tried to stand.

"We should get out of here."

"Waka." Shin easily saw through his attempt to bury the feelings. "I can tell you are hurting. Pushing it away… won't help." He gave in and sat down again, sinking back into his guilt. "We have time. You can heal." And that was true. Now they could make up for that century of lost time.

"Nothing makes sense anymore…" Everything Waka had clung to for all those years now seemed to be falling apart. Amaterasu. The demons. The brush gods. Too many mysteries, too many questions without answers.

In Waka's thoughts, Shin heard the plea for help, to make sense of it all, and he answered.

* * *

Everything was shaking. Outside was still roaring. Pieces of ice cracked and fell to the ground and cracked again.

It was so hard to think.

_Please, you need to keep holding on. _I looked around in confusion. Where was that voice? Was my mother here?

I couldn't feel my legs. Did I have legs? I could feel my neck; it was warm. And beneath that there was something shaking. Or the ground. The ground kept shaking. The bellows outside permeated through my barely-feeling ears.

_I should run._ I was supposed to run, but I didn't have legs to run. _Where am I?_ Another roar. Or maybe the same roar continued on. _Mizuki… It's going to eat me… _I remembered that part. Why was it here? Why was I here? _And what is that noise? _High-pitched, coming from somewhere in my neck. The air hissing into the entrance smelled like old fish. Teeth. A mouth.

Somehow, I stumbled away. My legs kept tensing out underneath me. Deeper in. I huddled into a tiny crevice within the crevice.

_So tired…_

_No, you can't… Don't fall asleep!_ But… I couldn't… I collapsed, refusing to move any longer. My vision was so blurry, so shaky…

A shattering crash. Mizuki roared. My eyes flinched open. What was going on? Where was I? Everything was so sluggish—my thoughts, my eyes…

_Going to be buried… Caving in…_ But it was quiet now, except for that high-pitched whine. And I would be safe in this crevice… Safe and warm… The heat around my neck was the only thing I could feel. _Soothing…_

A voice? Was that what I heard? I couldn't understand… But I couldn't hear anymore. There was something thumping at my ear.

There was a patch of white and red at the entrance, and then everything was dark.

**Child of the Sun. **I couldn't move. Or was I moving? **Kill him. **My neck was burning. I couldn't tell if I was breathing. It felt like the beads were constricting around my neck. **Release me, you insolent soul! You cannot collar my wrath!**

Someone was walking out of the darkness. I was weak. Hurt. The pale face was looking back at me.

"Wh-who are you?" This all seemed familiar. It asking who I was. "I'm… Ch-child of Kabegami…" The face was fading away. It looked like it was smiling. For a brief moment, I felt the cold throughout my entire body. _So cold…_

And then everything was burning.

* * *

Kuni stood overlooking Agata Forest. He'd searched far and wide throughout Nippon, exploring every place within his reach, but... Still, he had found no clues of his history.

He'd helped the people of Agata finish repairing their houses from flooding. Altogether, it wasn't the kind of help he had wanted to provide—he'd wanted to be a wandering warrior, saving people from demons, but it seemed there were no demons around to cause trouble. Anyway, it was time to say goodbye to this place and find somewhere else to go. Perhaps that stone building in Shinshu, which he couldn't reach, held some answers…

There was a caw above, and Kuni looked up. A large shape had just emerged from the treetops, too large to be any normal bird. It flapped slowly, and when he squinted he could see that it was dressed in a trailing robe and flying using—were those fans?

Then he remembered something he had heard along his journey. There were demons known as the Crow Tengu, that were said to be masters of the sword. Some said that they could even disguise themselves as humans. No one had seen one in almost a year, and some people thought they had been wiped out entirely.

_It seems there still are a few left… _As Kuni watched, the Tengu began to flap off in the direction of Shinshu Field. _Well, I can't just stand here. _He rushed into the tunnel leading there.

When he came out of the tunnel and looked up, the Tengu was above him, but that wasn't the problem. Two more of them were also flapping across the field. Then he looked to that stone building, wondering if he should take a detour—they didn't seem to be landing or attacking anyone, and there were only a few. Then he saw the dark cloud drawing closer on the horizon. From the north, beyond the stone building, what looked like thousands of flying shapes were approaching.

_The fabled Great Tengu of the north…_ Why were the Tengu demons all coming here? Still more of them were coming into view, from the north or from the mainland.

The three Tengu above the field had stopped, circling above their destination.

They were gathering above Kamiki Village.

_I'll have to face Dad again…_ But that only troubled Kuni for a moment. He knew what he needed to do. His home was under threat. He was going to help them. He took out the pendant for a moment, staring down at the blue moon insignia. _Wish me luck, Kurow._ The wave from the north continued to draw closer. They needed to prepare.

This wasn't just a battle with demons. With this number, it would be a war.


	54. Albedo

**Summary: The city of the Moon is attacked, setting off a chain of events that reach far beyond its source. One of the survivors journeys across Nippon, trying to stop what his people have released.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Okami, it belongs to Capcom and Clover. Okamiden also belongs to Capcom.**

**Last chapter, Waka and Shin are finally reunited, Obieta is saved(?) from Mizuchi, and Kuni is finally re-introduced as Tengus begin to gather above Kamiki Village. Also, my apologies beforehand, this chapter is kind of long…**

* * *

"…don't understand…" A voice drifted into my faded consciousness. "How…come back?" Slowly, my senses began to return. My skin stung faintly, but I didn't mind too much—I was warm again. "…Bloom…no effect…" The voice was quiet to my ears, and high-pitched. Beyond that, I could hear the sounds of fire—a torch? I didn't open my eyes to check. I wanted to stay in this half-sleep, wrapped in softness, where nothing would hurt me. Sleepily, I burrowed further in, trying to get as warm and comfortable as I could.

"…Hey, it's awake." The voice again. My ears pricked. That was human language, wasn't it...? My eyes snapped open, and I tried to stand, but found my feet were tangled. Humans. Dangerous. Had to get away before something bad could happen… "Whoa, whoa! …Chibi, what do we do if it tries to attack us?" I paused for a few seconds, blinking and looking around. No humans? There was a fire flickering in an indent at the side of the—wherever I was. "Hey, I got a few questions for ya, so listen up." Where was that voice coming from? "Listen up, I said!" I focused on hearing out the location… Ah! There was a small red light bouncing up and down in front of me.

A strange, coughing sound came from somewhere on my right, and I turned to see a creature about my size. Their white fur was streaked with red. A brush god. Above their back, a thin rock flickered with flame. I stopped to watch it, fascinated. In the back of my mind, a faraway voice howled—**Child of the Sun, kill him.** My body wanted to lunge. I settled for turning away and clenching my claws.

"Okay, enough messing around." I looked back at the light, which had now settled on a greenish color. "What were you doing in that cave? How did Mizuchi return? Exactly what are you, anyway?"

"I…" I didn't know what it meant. I couldn't remember what that meant. And the voice spoke strangely; I could hardly recognize a word. "I… I do not… understand…?" It had been so long since I'd used a word of that language. I hoped I'd said the right thing…

"Alright, let me try that again…" The voice was speaking slower. Clearer. "What. Are. You?" I fumbled for words, not sure how to respond. So… it was asking...? There was a long sigh. "Are you a brush god?" Brush god. I recognized that word. Am I…?

"Child of…"

"Yeah, yeah, I heard. Child of Kabegami." The voice finished before I could. At least something was being communicated. But… how did they know that before I had told them? "Never knew Kabegami even had a kid…" How would they know who I was? At least it meant that they wouldn't hurt me. "But… you look like a demon." I appeared to be… What was that word again…? And then it connected. Demon.

"…Yes." I looked down. Now they would definitely be afraid of me… But nothing happened. In fact, the dark presence in the back of my mind seemed much quieter today.

"Why?" How to explain…

"Ninetails. Hurt…" I wriggled my leg free, and showed them. "Go to… demon."

"What in the world…?" The brush god whimpered. "Chibi, you ever heard of anything like this? A young brush god getting turned into a demon…" The light, now glowing yellow, was bouncing away, speaking to the brush god—at least I hoped so, because I didn't understand most of it. Then it bounced back towards me. "You say that Ninetails did this?" I nodded hesitantly, and it was away talking to the brush god again. "Huh. Maybe that fox was more powerful than we thought… Oh, you probably don't know—a demon called 'Lord Ninetails' said he was a god, but your mom put him in his place. Yeah, he used some brush techniques, but this… And hurting a kid, no less…"

The brush god watched me intently. I shrunk away under the stare.

"D'ya think we can get any leads on Mizuchi's coming back? What if Yami—or Akuro, or whatever his name is—isn't entirely dead?"

"Um… Mizuki… Return…" I stumbled over the words, hoping I was choosing the right ones. I knew the word for wind, at least—Yomigami had said it was part of one of the brush gods' names. "Lightning."

"…Huh?" Wait, no, wrong word! I quickly shook my head.

"No, no… Wind."

"Wind?" I nodded.

"Bad wind."

"Huh…" The light began to bounce away and mutter again. "Chibi, wasn't it really windy for a second when we heard that first roar?" The brush god's eyes were trained on something to my right. "Maybe this is some sort of trap…" I looked over. "Chibi, what's—" There was another bed beside me. Someone was stirring within it. I saw white fur…

They lifted their head.

"Mama!" I ran towards her, tripping over myself and nearly falling on my face. But I got up quickly and curled up to her. Shin had gotten her out! She was awake!

"My kitten…" Mama's tail curled around me. It didn't seem to wrap around quite as far as it used to, but it still carried the same value. "I've heard about what has happened. It's so good to know you are safe."

"You too…"

"I'm afraid I cannot stay awake for long. Your friend will be occupied." My ears briefly drooped. Right… She needed Shin's concentration in order to be awake like this… Then my thoughts turned guilty.

"Shin…" I didn't feel so happy anymore. "Can you tell him that… I'm really really sorry for leaving."

"Do not worry. I think he understands." Mama's purr, and her words, comforted me. "I'm sure we can all meet face-to-face soon enough. He is going to set out for the shrine as well." I nodded, then backed up to look at her, glancing back at the light and the brush god.

"Aww… Well, no doubt about it. They're definitely family."

"Um… One more thing before you go… Can you help me tell them," I gestured with my snout to the light and the other brush god, "about the shrine?"

"Certainly." Mama walked over to them, and began to speak. I tried to follow it as best as I could. "Hello again, Issun and—Amaterasu?"

"Just family resemblance. This is actually her kid, Chibiterasu." She looked confused for a moment, then continued.

"This is my kitten. She may look a little… different, but she is still the child of a brush god. She is still my child." Mama looked back at me, her expression oddly sad, but she quickly turned back and kept speaking. "There is a shrine that has been prophesized to appear in Kamiki Village. It has the power to raise the dead."

"Really… I'm guessing there are people out there who would want to get their hands on that… Like Yami's minions."

"Indeed. There are other powerful forces heading there. I—" She stopped, then began again in a slightly different tone. "You should prepare yourselves if you plan on setting out. It's very dangerous." Now when Mama looked back and spoke to me, I could see someone else in her eyes. "Obieta. I have to go soon, but… Keep practicing your brush skills. And, if your demon side starts to lose control, I think Chibiterasu—that brush god with you—can help. I'll see you soon."

Mama walked back to her bed, and was half-asleep when her eyes went blank and she fell limp. I wish I had looked away quicker, not seen the life draining out of her.

"Well then. That was interesting." The light bounced over to me. I blinked, shaking my head, trying to clear the image from my thoughts. "Well, if Kabegami didn't tell you already, my name's Issun, and this here is Chibiterasu." I nodded. Names. I could remember that. The light was Issun. The brush god, as Mama had just told me, was Chibiterasu. "'Young Kabegami' is kind of a mouthful. You got any other name?"

"Obieta." The light stopped bouncing for a minute.

"…Alright then. Obieta. How 'bout I call you Obi?" I tilted my head, which Issun seemed to take as a yes, because he then began to bounce off and speak quieter—to himself, probably. "A 'scaredy-cat'… Wonder what's the story behind that name." Chibiterasu made a noise again. Maybe it was their way of meowing? "Right! Let's get training! We've got a demon resurrection to stop!"

* * *

The past few days had seemed like a waking dream. Here, on this island, within this forest, Waka felt like he could cut all ties with the world. He didn't really want to return to it. Still, not every part of reality had been cast away. There were demons that still lurked in his thoughts at nighttime, now with helpless human faces as he cut them down.

_It's not your fault. You didn't know. _Somehow, Shin accepted him despite what he'd done. He wished he could return the favor, accept Shin back just as easily, and the fact that he couldn't made it harder to forgive himself. The unreality of the daytime, when the sunlight spiraled in golden designs across the forest floor, made things just a bit easier to bear. He could pretend that he was someone else, not the murderer he had been for years and years outside this place.

It was almost sunset now, the sun just touching the horizon, ready to sink into the darkness of the night. Waka went back inside to find Shin.

To his surprise, he was sitting up, facing the wall.

"Um… Shin…?" Waka stepped closer. It wasn't like him to be awake so early…

"There was something I had to check on. Through the brush gods." Waka hardly needed to think his curiosity before he began to answer. "Just a little while ago, there was someone else on this island with me. Someone else who had also become… like this." There were other ones? Other fusions? "Just one other. I think the closest word to describe her would be… a granddaughter?" He saw Shin's shoulders shrug. "…You'll probably see her for yourself soon."

"So that's why you asked me to get this." Waka held out the draping cloak that he had managed to obtain in Sei'An that day. He should have realized before—after all, a covering like that would be exactly what Shin would need to safely go outside in sunlight. "We're leaving so soon?"

"The prophecy. You saw the vision for yourself." The very last vision, almost ready to be fulfilled. Still it was so foggy in his mind. "Waka, I know you don't want to go. You don't want to go back to who you were."

_Of course I don't._ Shin took a deep breath.

"But we have to. This is the last part left from the past. After this…" He hesitated. "We can start over."

"…All right," Waka decided. Just one last time. It wouldn't be a mission. All it would be was going there, to the shrine, and the items would sort themselves out. And then, after that, they had all the time they wanted. Together.

"There is just one more thing before we leave." He paused. "Do you still have that brush? And… you remember how to use Bloom?"

"On… what?" Waka looked around. None of the plant life looked especially bare.

"On me."

_What?! _He'd seen Amaterasu use a Floral Finisher before. He knew what effect that could have on demons.

"I'm different, though. You said it yourself." Waka looked at the brush in his hand, then at Shin. "Trust me?" Hesitantly, he lifted the brush. As everything became faded, he drew a shaky, faint circle.

_Please, please let this work._ After a moment of hesitation, he let his hand drop.

Petals burst through the air, and Shin screamed. Through the light, splashes of red and black warred across his skin. And then, as soon as it began, the light faded and he painfully tried to stand.

"I didn't think it would hurt that much…" Waka pulled him into a hug. Perhaps it was his panic that made him realize that, after all his attempts to move on, that loss still hurt.

"Do not do anything like that again."

"Um, well…" But Shin trailed off, distracted. For a second, he was perfectly still and silent—odd for him now, with a demon side pressing his control. Waka stepped back, worried, and saw Shin staring right back at him with the same bright eyes he used to have. He was perfectly calm, without a hint of struggling. "You look different." For a moment, Waka could have sworn that the dark lines were barely there at all, that he was just the same as he had been a century ago.

"It's… It's a long story." _You're back. You're really back._ Something had clicked now, and when he looked at Shin he could no longer see a demon's face. He was truly here.

"…We should probably be going." Shin pulled the hood of the cloak over his head. "If you give me the brush, I can get us both across." Waka passed it over, and Shin smiled. "Finally… It's been so frustrating without any brush powers."

In a trail of lilypads, the pair, now reunited, set off towards the shore.


	55. Planetesimal

**Summary: The city of the Moon is attacked, setting off a chain of events that reach far beyond its source. One of the survivors journeys across Nippon, trying to stop what his people have released.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Okami, it belongs to Capcom and Clover. Okamiden also belongs to Capcom.**

**Last chapter, Obieta woke up to meet her convenient rescuers, Issun and Chibiterasu, see her mother again, and start filling in those two potential allies about the whole shrine business. Also, Waka and Shin finally leave Catcall Island, with Shin discovering that Bloom is a convenient but painful way to suppress a demon side. And probably some deep stuff about morality that everyone skimmed over. Anyway, we're getting close to endgame.**

* * *

Every time Kuni let Kamiki Village out of his sight, he couldn't help but worry. What if the demons attacked the villagers? What if his parents were…? The last time he had tried to enter, there had been too many demons… He'd had to retreat or risk being torn apart. But this time, he would have some help.

One of the Kusa 5—Tei was his name—awaited him at the entrance of Kusa Village. The dog, upon seeing him, bowed down. Hesitantly, Kuni climbed onto his back, and Tei was off, sprinting through Taka Pass. The surroundings were mostly a blur of green, and Kuni had to hold on tight to stop from being thrown off. It wasn't the same as when he and Chibiterasu ran together—Tei was older, and more of a fighter than a mount. There was no bond between the two of them, no synchronity.

_If only Mutt was here instead of on the Celestial Plain… We could really use his help. _The dirt path below them was passing by rapidly, and flecks of dirt rose in Tei's wake. _I really want to see him again… _Kuni barely caught a glimpse of the two figures ahead of them along the trail before Tei skidded past. There was a cry from somewhere behind them, and Tei stopped to look back. Kuni dismounted, looking over the pair as one helped the other up. These weren't ordinary civilians, that was easily clear—one carried a sword, while the other was completely concealed by a cloak. Perhaps they were travelling warriors of some sort… He walked up to them, trying not to balk. "Hi, sorry…" Nearly forgetting his manners, he bowed hastily.

"It's alright. We're fine." The one with the sword spoke. Now that he was up close, Kuni could see that his hair had light streaks in it; it was a bit strange.

"Are you… warriors?" The sword-wielding one nodded.

"Of a sort. Why do you ask?"

"My home, Kamiki Village is in danger." The two traded glances. "Tengu are swarming above the village. No one can get in or out. I don't know why, or what they're planning… Please, could you lend us your aid?"

"We're actually on our way there as well… But we didn't know about the Tengu." The cloaked one fidgeted, and Kuni saw a few strands of pale white hair peek out. "Something very important is going to happen soon. There's a lot to explain." It seemed like they knew quite a bit about what was going on… That, and their unfamiliar appearances, were causes for suspicion. Though he did feel like he knew the swordsman's face from somewhere…

"Well, my name's Kuni." It was best to give them the benefit of the doubt. Unfamiliar appearances and new knowledge could mean demons, but it could also mean new heroes—perhaps from Kamui or some other distant land. He needed all the allies he could get.

"I'm Ushiwaka." Of course that face was familiar—it was Kurow's!

"Wait… The Tao Master?" Seeming a bit embarrassed, he nodded. For a second, Kuni paused, not knowing how to respond. When he did speak, his voice was shaky. "I… I don't like what you did. But I understand. It must've been the only way."

"I… I'm not sure what you're talking about…"

"Kurow. The doll you created to seal away Akuro…" His voice trailed off. "He was my friend."

"A doll…?" He didn't remember? Now Kuni felt a surge of anger. How could someone be so uncaring? How could he forget the life that he had created and then sent to his death? Maybe it hadn't even been the only way at all…

"Yumigami. The child." The cloaked one, still unintroduced, finally spoke. "Oh—my name is Shin."

"I think there must be some mistake… That child—Kurow, you say?—wasn't made by me, and he wasn't a doll, either."

"But… the pendant… his pendant told him…" As soon as he took it out, Waka frowned.

"That pendant… If I remember correctly, that was the one that Sugawara…" He fell quiet, no longer speaking to Kuni. "Of course. He said he had a vision." Now Kuni's mind was starting to whirl. Kurow wasn't a doll, but a normal child… A child in a prophecy. And Waka had nothing to do with his death? Perhaps, knowing the resemblance, he had even been Waka's son—though, seeing his companion, Shin, he doubted this was the case. And… Sugawara? Hadn't he been kind before his illness? How was Yumigami involved?

"Who was Kurow really, then?" Again, the pair traded glances. There was only silence for a few seconds.

"…It's complicated."

"Alright. Okay. But I'd like to hear about it sometime." Tei was still waiting for him, but was growing impatient. Kuni tried to bury his curiosity, and it was soon overcome by worry as he remembered what this was all for. "For now, the most important thing is whatever you know about what's happening in Kamiki. I take it you know the way to Shinshu Field; we'll meet you there." As he walked back over to Tei, the two began to speak quietly.

"…think that pendant could be…?"

"…can't know for sure until we get there." Then Kuni hopped on, and they were off. He couldn't see, but he hoped Waka and Shin were following. Before there had only been him. Now they were eight, ready to face the gathering storm.

He just hoped that they weren't too late.

* * *

I leapt and swung, and out of the corner of my eye I saw the icy whip lash into its target.

"Wow, you really took to those things! That dummy doesn't stand a chance!" As the beads curled back to float around me, I felt Ninetails' beads begin to warm, cancelling out the cold. Adding to the (mild) clutter wrapped around me was the Astral Pouch, to which I had contributed a few more extra meals—namely, a white-furred creature called a "rabbit", which was hard to see in the white snow but couldn't run that fast. For some reason, Issun didn't like my food choices—something about a brush god being that same creature. And something else about "blood" and "dirtying the floor" and "appropriate gift choices for your friends" and… Well, honestly, I'd stopped listening at that point, but I think the point was that Issun would continue to refuse my offerings of friendship. At least Chibiterasu accepted some, and we were now on fairly good terms—though not being able to really communicate sometimes made things confusing.

Speaking of Chibiterasu, he was bashing at a second dummy—that was what they were called—with the flaming stone, which swung out from his back with the motions of his head and body. Sometimes he would land a few strikes in a row and then pause, as though waiting for something.

_Back to training. One more time._ Issun had gotten my new weapon-beads from a friendly round human, in exchange for a bunch of metal objects Chibiterasu had been carrying. They were cold, but responded easily to my movements and moved even quicker than Chibiterasu's stone. _Wait…_ Issun had given me a gift. Maybe that was why… Did he somehow think that I was the one who he needed to appease? _Something about the way I look? Or because I'm a brush god?_ I stopped and turned to glance at the tiny light, who was bouncing near another human—I had no idea how I could be safe and calm among humans, but it had happened somehow. Then Issun bounced back towards us again, turning a nervous shade of yellow.

"We need to get moving." Chibiterasu stopped and tilted his head, listening. "The reason why there aren't any demons around? All of the Great Tengu just up and left. They took off and flew towards the mainland. Word is saying that they've gathered around Kamiki Village." Kamiki. The shrine. There were demons going there? Why? And… would they still be welcoming, with a brush god traveling by my side? "Chibi, Obi, get your last bits of practice in and pack up. Hurry!" I ran back towards the hut where I had slept. Chibiterasu seemed to understand, and followed me. It took the two of us to lift Mama and carry her outside. "Okay, just wait here for a little. I'll get the ship." I nodded, standing strong despite the weight on my shoulders.

Soon all four of us were inside a small blue-tinted room with a clear but solid dome ceiling. Issun was busy bouncing around at an outcropped area, while Chibiterasu settled down. Mama was curled up comfortably on the floor, unnervingly still. Suddenly, the whole room began to shake.

_Another earthquake?! _I quickly put my head down, waiting for it to pass. But the tremors, however faint, didn't stop even after a while of waiting. When I opened my eyes, Chibiterasu was looking at me, and Issun was chuckling.

"Don't worry, it's just the ship. No danger."

"No danger?" Chibiterasu nodded. Hesitantly, I lifted my head up again. The ground was trembling a little, in a noise that sounded a bit like a high-pitched purr, but it was steady. I could balance. The noise seemed to be coming from the floor and the walls, almost from all around us. It was indescribably comforting; it made me feel like a tiny kitten again. _But I'm not anymore…_ That was a sad thought. So much had happened since the darkness, since that fall from the tower. Now I was trying to fit my large body back into that small kitten's life. Even when all of this was over, things wouldn't be like that again.

"You've probably never been flying before. Take a look outside!" Issun chirped, breaking me out of that train of thought. Chibiterasu gestured to the clear upper walls of the room. I went on my hind legs and looked out. "You two can sleep if you want. It'll be a while before we get there."

_Wh-where's the ground? _I hopped a little, and further down below I could see white, like snow, and blue like the ocean. _Where… Are we up high? _The view was like from the top of the tower. _How?_ There was nothing underneath the room, and… We were moving? The white was disappearing below like clouds blowing across the sky. We were moving… Thoroughly amazed, I sat back down and watched the stars as they passed by, trying to take in every second.

We would reach "the mainland" soon. It would be nearly daytime by then. And when we got there… Would there be a fight? Between who? Brush gods and demons? The two sets of beads pulsed, in alternating bouts of heat and chills.

_Remember what this is all for._ For Ninetails. But now it was for Mama, too.

The room began to feel small, smaller. Darker. I could almost imagine roars outside, and the cold… So cold… I could feel my heart beating. Fast. Darker and darker as I heard.

I tore my eyes from the sleeping Chibiterasu, straightened from my crouch, and looked back to the glittering stars that seemed to watch over me.

* * *

When Takefutsu arrived at the gates of Kamiki Village, flocks of Tengu landed to greet her. The moonlight highlighted each of their feathers with dashes of pale white, shining upon their aged forms. Still, they looked most natural in this light; it was that from their faraway homeland, which would soon be returned to them. They were much fewer in number than the time when the Moon had been their haven alone, many of their ranks having fallen to ignorant Earth swords, or forsaken the call of their Mother.

"Do not bow to me. Your true ruler shall be here soon." A few mutters were heard amidst the rustling and flapping of those still airborne. Somewhere in the village, muffled cries speckled the night air like stars dashed across the sky. "That is why you felt the call." She held up the lost sword, Thunder Edge, and let its golden light meld with the silver of the Moon's. "You will reclaim that which has been taken from you." _This is my atonement._ Takefutsu could see the disbelief in their eyes. As their numbers had dwindled, so their faith had as well. "Soon, Amanozako will rise again." _And I shall be judged. _Slowly, the weight of her words began to take hold. There was still hope within them, and slowly her promise had coaxed it out.

She stepped away, and the Tengu parted to let her pass, again taking to the sky and rejoining their flock above the village. She hardly needed to watch the path as she walked. It was as though she had already been here millions of times.

The clearing. A simple plate of stone, where Amaterasu's statue once stood. The shrine, buried beneath it since an unknown time, would soon awaken. She had seen the moment. It would be when that last Tribesman, Ushiwakamaru, arrived. That was why she had imparted the vision to him—so that he would come when the time was right. And that time would be soon.

_Three souls. Three items. _Idly, Takefutsu wondered of the significance behind that number. It was no matter to her; the other two would no doubt be taken care of when the others arrived. Still, the people of the clearing's future remained clouded, even to her, the image blurred by time. _Long ago, there was a prophecy of three…_ Perhaps that was of significance now, even if it had been from so long ago. Was there any truth to a Tengu's prophecy? _Three, borne of the gods, who may hold even the mightiest demons within themselves…_ Sadly, the speaker of those words had perished many years ago. That fool Sugawara had often expressed worry over those words. Unenlightened—like them all, out of her shame—he had feared that such a host could become a new vessel for Amanozako's spirit. _Three; of the sun, the moon, and the stars._

None of those prophecies or visions would matter now. The future would be shattered and made anew, no longer something to obey but something to forge. No longer would anyone be slave to destiny.

"The Moon shines brightly tonight," she observed, speaking to someone—but no one was there to hear. At least not yet. "Soon, it will be truly whole again."

There was no change, only the sounds of the wind and the feathers. The cries died down to a quiet weeping. Alone, Takefutsu stood, waiting.


	56. Zenith

**Summary: The city of the Moon is attacked, setting off a chain of events that reach far beyond its source. One of the survivors journeys across Nippon, trying to stop what his people have released.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Okami, it belongs to Capcom and Clover. Okamiden also belongs to Capcom.**

**Last chapter, Kuni met Waka and Shin, and is getting caught up on the whole shrine business. Meanwhile, Obieta got the Tundra Beads (because, well, if she's going to have a weapon, and Chibiterasu has tons of money…) and the four of them also set off for Kamiki. Bad for everyone else, Takefutsu/Tsukuyomi is already there, with some prophetic foreshadowing and a rallying speech for her Tengu army. Now… it's endgame time.**

* * *

"Looks like we aren't the only ones who heard about the Tengu," Issun commented. Chibiterasu, however, hadn't heard a word; the moment the shuttle's hatch opened he was bounding off towards Kuni, barking happily. Issun managed to persuade Obieta to leave her mother's side, and they followed at a slower pace. By the time they arrived, Kuni was sprawled on the ground and laughing while his face was thoroughly coated in drool.

"Mutt… It's so good to see you." While they hugged, Issun hopped around the group gathered in the center of the field, as though evaluating them.

"Someone's been busy..." Looking at the cloud of Tengu circling the village, he added: "We'll really need the backup." Obieta saw the still-cloaked Shin and immediately made a beeline towards him, staying away from the group of unfamiliar dogs. Issun followed. "…Wait, who are you again?" Waka feigned innocence.

"I don't think we've met. I'd probably remember meeting a tiny glowing grasshopper."

"Why you-! Seriously!? I'm not a grasshopper!" Waka grinned.

"Wonderful to see you again, my bouncing friend." Issun continued to glow a sulky red. Luckily, Shin was completely distracted in a conversation with Obieta—discussing theories about how to return the brush gods to their bodies permanently—and hadn't heard a thing.

"I'm so sorry… I didn't mean to leave you behind…" Obieta was looking extremely downcast.

"It's alright. I understand why you did it. There was someone you needed to help." She looked a little more hopeful now, though still worn out; the daytime was both tiring and stinging, though less than usual.

"Half-baked… What're you doing here, anyway?"

"I've come to help, why else?"

"Yeah, right…"

"Hey, guys!" Kuni managed to get the group's attention. Issun caught sight of Obieta, then stared puzzled at the person she had been talking to.

"Wait, who are you?"

"I'm Shin." That gave Issun absolutely no information, but he didn't elaborate. Kuni tried to get the group's attention.

"Is everyone ready to go?" There was a tentative "yes" or two.

"Hey Obi, I'm gonna hang out here and keep an eye on Kabegami, okay?" The unconscious brush god was still in the ship, parked further up the hill. "Go get 'em, you guys. I'll be right here when you're ready for the victory lap!" Issun bounced off again towards the landed ship. With that, they began to walk towards the village, Kuni and Chibiterasu in the lead.

It was oddly, eerily quiet. The loudest sound was the rush of millions of Tengu feathers through the air above. Kuni watched the sky as they passed through the village gate, but not one broke formation to attack them. When he reached the center of the village, he couldn't move any further. Not a single person in sight. None of the happy voices in the background. Even the animals, if they were here, were silent.

"Mom? Dad?" Kuni called out. Silence. It felt crushingly empty. He knocked on the door of their house. "Dad! Mom!" No answer. "Is anyone in here? It's Kuni! It's…" He couldn't finish.

Chibiterasu barked in panic, and Kuni turned to see a Tengu swoop overhead, close enough to see every chink and groove in its worn talons. It circled them once, as they readied their weapons, stopping to squint at Waka for a moment before cawing hoarsely and flapping off again. Kuni slowly unfroze, shaking away his panic.

"Strange…" He had gotten lucky. If it had attacked…

"Or expected. Someone here must know about the vision too." Waka looked over at Shin. He looked away. They continued on up the steps, closer to the shifting dark swirling in the sky. Kuni was the first to reach the clearing, standing and looking up at Konohana. The great tree's leaves had been stripped by the winds, and its bare branches creaked. Sakuya was nowhere to be found. There was only one other noticeable object: a plain slab of gray stone, nearly hidden by the grass. When Chibiterasu saw it, he remembered for a moment how it had felt to be entombed by that rock and whatever mysterious power it held. "This is it." This was the shrine they were all here to find, for one reason or another. It looked so nondescript. If it hadn't been pointed out, no one might have noticed it.

Waka stepped forward. The slab flashed with some inner light, and slowly it began to rise. Strange glowing patterns flickered across the metal sides of the platform, tracing a triad of circular indents that had begun to form across the top. Obieta swore she could hear whispers from within the lights, indistinguishable murmurings.

"Finally, the shrine of prophecy rises…" Shin drew a sharp breath at the sound of her voice. A woman had stepped through Konohana's gate as though she had walked out of thin air. The glaive in her hand sparked with golden light, its blade dragging along the ground.

"W-who are you?" Kuni stepped forward, Chibiterasu following protectively. Waka began to ready his swords, but the sight of his former leader gave him pause. "Are you the one who commands these demons?"

"I am Takefutsu." Her voice was icy, distant. Speaking no more, she approached the shrine. The Tengus' circling became fervent, the hissing growing to a howl. The glaive's aura crackled expectantly. Takefutsu lifted Thunder Edge and reverently placed in onto one of the indents. The whispers grew louder, clearer.

_It is almost time…_

_No soul within…_

_Not the one… _For a second, the lights faded, and even the electricity of Thunder Edge seemed to still. Then it surged in a flash. The glaive was flung from the shrine and fell to the ground a few steps away. Takefutsu stared at the shrine in disbelief.

"H-how…" She rushed to pick up the sword, but the shrine repulsed it each time she tried to place it down. "Why isn't it working?" The look on her face was one of wild desperation. "Why?! This was supposed to make everything right…" Shin started to step forward.

"Tsukuyomi…"

"That is not my name!" She snapped. "Tengu! Kill them all!"

"No, please don't—" Takefutsu raised Thunder Edge, and lightning burst out across the clearing, searing down trees and even Tengu.

The Tengu began to dive, slashing with swords and claws. Kuni and Chibiterasu fought back as one, with slices and flames and crippling Galestorm gusts. The Kusa 5 were beside them, all fighting off one Tengu until it retreated and then moving on to the next. Waka kept to parries, while Shin weaved between the attacks, trying to reach his sister.

"Obieta, the beads!" Obieta heard his reminder and nodded, swinging the Tundra Beads in a defensive figure-eight. She used the time to switch the red bracelet to her mouth, then started to run.

_Just like racing Tobi,_ she told herself, trying to push away her fear of the angered birds. She imagined his purple-flamed light darting in front of her, picturing the Tengu like the swinging traps. Her fearful mind quieted entirely, leaving only the sound of fast footsteps and the feel of grass between her paws. But there were so many obstacles... She kept having to circle back, and the gaps were growing fewer.

There was a bark beside her, and Chibiterasu joined in her race. Obieta snapped back to reality, and in a split second they both seemed to know each other's plan. She passed off the beads to him, and he raced off, swinging Divine Retribution in front of him. The Tengu hadn't expected a second enemy to take such a reckless charge, and scattered before the brush god. He leapt onto the shrine, placing the beads down as quickly as possible and ducking—both from the lightning and the fear that it would fly back at him.

The indent glowed, and the beads were engulfed by the light.

_You accept your place..._

_You affirm the true holder of the sun's mantle... _Shin stopped for a moment, thinking he heard something deep within his mind, in the place where Amaterasu's link had once been. Chibiterasu heard those voices for a moment, but had no time to puzzle as more lightning began to strike towards him. He loosed a quick Galestorm and hurried back towards Kuni's side. Meanwhile, Shin still kept trying to reach Takefutsu.

"Tsukuyomi—"

"No, stop it!" She lashed out, swinging the glaive with a burst of lightning. Shin had to duck to the ground, but continued forward.

"Sister, please…" Takefutsu's attacks didn't change.

"The only one who called me that is dead."

"Sister, I'm here. I was brought back." Shin jumped out of a Tengu's path. "Please, Tsukuyomi, you have to stop this!" Another blast, this time focused at him.

"The sister you know died! Long ago, when she took the life of an innocent, blindly following destiny!" _And long ago, when she created a monster trying to make it right... _She gave up and turned away. "Stop trying to save me, brother. I'm too far gone." She blended back into the flock, almost vanishing within the dark storm. Atop the shrine, the beads seemed fixed within the glow.

"It's working…" Kuni hopped back onto Chibiterasu's back. "C'mon, boy, we gotta get the pendant onto there!" The brush god barked and charged back towards the Tengu-clouded shrine, ducking under ones that flinched away from the beads' blazing light.

So close. Kuni shifted the pendant to his right hand, reaching out towards the shrine...

"Stop." The lightning stopped. The Tengu backed away from them, watching. Takefutsu approached Kuni slowly. Trembling, he began to reach back for his sword. "Where did you get this?"

"It once belonged to my friend." Takefutsu's expression was filled with confusion.

"Friend...? What was their name?"

"Kurow."

"Crow...!" She pronounced it oddly, but seemed to know the name. "That was the name of that... of the failed vessel... many years ago..." There was a moment of frozen silence. Then she stepped aside. "Go. Place that pendant upon the shrine." _One last chance... It was a vessel for her. Please, let this work. Let her soul be the one that is drawn to it..._

Kuni stepped up to the shrine, and hesitantly slid the pendant into one of the two remaining indents.

_The one of the moon... The one of lightning... _The pendant sparked and flashed, as though overloading with energy, and then the light consumed it as well. Takefutsu stepped back, and slowly began to smile.

"Thank you..."

* * *

I wasn't sure I completely understood what had happened. First, this mysterious new human had gotten angry with everyone—I really wasn't sure why—and all of the huge bird-demons had gotten angry too, and my head was still a little dizzy and I couldn't believe what had happened. It was over. The beads were on the shrine. Shin even said he had heard a voice in his head that had sounded a lot like Ninetails.

And somehow, some tiny glowing rock that Kuni had brought—if I remembered correctly, he was trying to get it to the shrine, because there was someone who had done things for him like Ninetails for me—had stopped all of the anger. Now it was on the shrine too. The human was still quiet, looking scared—at least that's what I thought, but I didn't have Shin to check because he was over there trying to talk to her. The bird-demons now flocked about the sky, many of them flapping off to somewhere unknown—wherever they had come from. Actually, I wasn't sure if they were really demons; though some had tried to converse with me, they didn't seem to understand much of the language.

"Hello." I jumped, and very nearly clawed the startling human's face. Who was this? "Uh... Don't be scared. My name's Waka." Hmm... I knew I'd heard that name before.

"Oh! You're the one Shin was searching for!"

"Really… He, um, mentioned me?" Waka looked… well, I wasn't sure. He was looking down. Maybe nervous? I sat and blinked slowly, trying not to look scary. He shrugged. "Well, he found who he was looking for…"

"How… Why…?" I wasn't sure how to phrase my curiosity. I just wanted to know more about this person who Shin had wanted to find. "Um…" I struggled to organize my thoughts. The silence began to grow awkward, and I debated just slinking off. "S-so… Who was Shin befo—"

"Wait…" Waka looked around warily. "Do you hear that?" It was quiet now. No Tengu, no animals, barely a voice. But something else… My ears pricked, and I knew. The breeze rang with soft laughter.

_It's here. It followed me. _Somewhere behind me, I heard a Tengu caw, but I wasn't looking.

"Obieta, look out...!" I wasn't listening either; too busy looking for a way out, away. The shrine. The light felt like no other lights, like safety, protecting me...

_Heh… You can't fight fate, dearie._

I barely turned before the Tengu's claws struck me through the chest.


	57. Luminosity

**Summary: The city of the Moon is attacked, setting off a chain of events that reach far beyond its source. One of the survivors journeys across Nippon, trying to stop what his people have released.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Okami, it belongs to Capcom and Clover. Okamiden also belongs to Capcom.**

**Last chapter, there was a totally epic battle (not really), with the end result of a pacified Takefutsu and two of the three "shrine slots" filled up. But guess who showed up to ruin everything?**

**On another note… I would just like to thank any readers who made it all the way through this. It turned out a lot longer than expected. Sadly, this might be the last you ever read from me—but hopefully not! If it is, let's hope it leaves a good final impression.**

* * *

First there was nothing. My eyes were open, but I couldn't see anything, just flashes between blinding light and blackness. Vaguely, I had felt my back slam against something cold and smooth, but now I could only focus on the pain blossoming through my chest, coming in waves with the pulsing of my vision. Light, dark. Light. Dark. Pain, numbness. Pain. Numb. I might have been howling, crying, but I couldn't hear, couldn't feel.

Everything began to slip away…

_Inside me, the Darkness burst forth, tightening its grip. It whispered to my unresponsive form, empty promises and wishes of destruction upon the world. The voice was the worst part, because I knew it. I had heard Its voice before, each time at my deathbed. That was the voice that reminded me of my body's mortality, of how fleeting a life could be._

_Then another voice came, even more familiar than this one. The source of the recognition was less clear, for this one had weaved its way into my travels, insidiously, as both helper and tormentor. It spoke to the Darkness without a hint of fear._

_Leave this one, it said. You have your hold on the other two. This one is mine. And in an instant, a cold breath like wind swept through my phantom body, purging the Darkness. As It was swept away, though, I could feel the strength It had lent me leave as well. I could barely hold on to the light…_

_Just let go, the voice whispered to me. Your time here has ended. Let's leave this world behind, and move on to the next._

_No… _

_I didn't want to let go._

_I remembered now. The other times, I had known the end would come. I had accepted it, despite my fear. I had known that when it came, it meant something, another strike against the eternal Darkness._

_I had not been given a choice, or a chance to say farewell. That was as always. But this time it was different. There was no purpose, no meaning in it. And this time I was done with being pulled away from people I had almost known. This time I would not accept death. I would fight it._

_Stop resisting… I could almost feel my body returning, aching as it was but alive. Then there was a nervous laugh, high-pitched and manic. If you miss it that much, I suppose I have no choice. Blades of wind slashed at me from inside, the wind contained inside me beginning to tear me apart. I could feel my throat, raw and now made soundless by the slices of air._

_I won't let go… _

_The wind fought me, but I fought back, trying with all my will to hold my broken body together. I wouldn't let go. _

_The voice began to grow quieter, retreating. __Somehow, I could still see the light. Through the stings of cuts and lashes, it shone on._

I opened my eyes, exhausted beyond belief, blinking away the echoes of the shrine's light from my eyes.

Where was I...?

Why was the grass growing sideways, so far away…?

"You're alive!" There was someone's voice somewhere above my head. I was laying down, I realized. I managed to turn my ear a little in response, to let them know I was listening. "I was so worried for you when I heard… I'm so glad you're alright."

"Wha…?" I looked over. "Mama!" I found the energy to sit upright. The Astral Pouch, emptied of all sparkles, slipped off of my head and fell to the grass.

"Your friend figured out how to return us all to our bodies—permanently. He says that the shrine spoke to him and told him how." Her eyes half-closed in amusement. "And you… You, my kitten, have been returned to me." I tried to stand, but my legs were too weak.

"Where's Shin?" I needed to know what happened. Had the shrine worked? Was Ninetails here?

"Please, relax. You've been through so much…" I suppressed a yawn, then paused. It was still sunny and bright out, but it wasn't hurting at all. In fact, nothing was. I looked down, and saw that my fur was white again, clean of all dark markings—though it did look a bit grimy. Had I managed to roll through some dirt on my way up to the shrine? I didn't remember even how I had (apparently) climbed up and fallen asleep on it. "One of those birds attacked you, and dragged you up there. Everything started glowing, and we couldn't see you…" I started to clean myself, barely listening. The dirt tasted vaguely salty, like the smell of metal with the taste of food. I had been revived, too. It seemed like a strange thought. I guessed that bodies worked just as well as objects.

"Hello, Kabegami. Is it okay if I…?" Shin had approached, still cloaked, from somewhere outside my vision. Kabegami motioned for him to go ahead. He looked up at me, and I thought I saw the barest twitch. "Obieta. You've heard most of it already." I nodded and continued what I was doing. "The shrine worked, but not in the way we thought it would. I heard their voices. They were revived, but… We don't know where they went." I stopped. So Ninetails was alive, but not here.

"Okay. Can I come down now?" It was a bit strange having Shin pick me up, mostly because I felt so tiny now compared to everything. I stumbled a bit on my first few steps, each one seeming to barely move me anywhere at all.

"There's one more thing. Remember that passage in the River of the Heavens?" Of course I remembered. The bridge to a higher plane. "It's opened. And now everyone can see it." I got the meaning almost immediately. Anyone could go through it now. Including Shin, including me—well, without any more demon-strength in me, I wasn't an exception anyway. "Waka and Tsu—and Takefutsu have gone through already, along with some of the Tengu." Takefutsu… Was that the black-haired one? Well, she would be calmed down now, and I trusted Shin's judgment that she wasn't dangerous.

"Ready to go see our new home?" Mama asked me. "I haven't been there yet, either, but the others have said it's a beautiful place."

"We're going to live there?"

"The brush gods aren't going to be so separated anymore. For the first time since before our birth, we will all be together." Shin looked like he wanted to add something.

"Well, mostly together. In any case, I can still reach out to all of them." _Moegami decided to stay, _his voice told me. I jumped—well, it felt more like a tiny hop, actually—and mock-glared at Shin when he laughed. "In any case, are you ready to go?"

"Um… hold on…" _Want to say goodbye to Chibiterasu and the others, _I thought, and hoped he heard me.

"Well, they're right behind you." I turned around.

"Hey! Glad to see you're feelin' alright! Heard you took a bad hit in the battle." Issun bounced cheerfully. I didn't see Kuni beside him, but didn't ask—it seemed from before that this was his home; he was probably with his parent. "Whatever happened, you look a lot different now." Chibiterasu yipped, and I remembered.

"Is he… not going?"

"Oh, Chibi? He wants to stay here, too." Looking at him, I saw that he agreed with those words. He was probably a lot more attached to the people here than the brush gods up there, if I had understood all that Issun had told me. "Nippon needs some protectors, after all! And now that we've got the Tengu on our side, we can start making peace with the demons… Thanks for telling us all, Shin." Shin nodded, but frowned. Maybe… it hadn't been easy to tell them that, after they had told themselves what the evil was. "Yeah, don't worry about us. We've got it covered down here! And we can always take the ship up for a visit."

"Thank you." I didn't know what else to say. "Thank you… for helping me."

"No problem!" I paused.

"There are some... demons." Shin elaborated before I could.

"A Blue Cyclops named Aoi, and a Bell Guardian named Genjo."

"If you could tell them...?" Issun nodded.

"I get it. If we find them, we'll pass the message along." And with that promise, we said our farewells. One young brush god, Chibiterasu, set off towards his home in Nippon, while I followed Shin towards a new one. I looked back once more, saying a silent goodbye to everything around me, then passed through the gateway, down the paths and rivers of glimmering starlight.

The portal was a bright swirl of light in the air, just at the edge of the ground. Finally, I remembered the tower and its golden glow and calm sleepy days with nothing but fish to eat and a gentle sea breeze. Some part of me already knew that, even with my kitten body returned, I had seen too much to slip back into that life. So I said one final farewell, a farewell to my childhood, and stepped into the light.


End file.
